


The Fire Within

by KotaDai



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Alternative Universe - Kingdom, Betrayal, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Mind Games, Multi, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:09:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 48,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26644276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KotaDai/pseuds/KotaDai
Summary: Prince Vegeta and princess Bulma. Fire and water. Paths that have forcefully collided into each other by the political agreement of their kingdoms. In the face of war, lies, and uncertainties their futures are yet to be decided. What will they discover in each other? Friend, lover, or foe?
Relationships: Bulma Briefs/Vegeta, Chi-Chi/Son Goku (Dragon Ball)
Comments: 33
Kudos: 51
Collections: Bulma and Vegeta get together fanfiction, Bulma x Vegeta





	1. The Place Where Dreams Live and Die

The Place Where Dreams Live and Die

Perhaps this will sound like a biased thought, but her home planet was the most stunning, breath striking place. Enormous green fields linking the great woods with the highest, greenest trees you can imagine. If you would observe planet Poseidon from the waste space, you could notice the shades of greens circulating the planet giving space only to the oceans and rivers. A great planet of Poseidon named after the god of the sea and king of the sea gods was the kind of place where you can feel as one with nature.  
Plains of greenery, the most beautiful meadows and mysterious forests are just one of the reasons why Poseidon is one of the most beautiful planets in the world. What made it truly special was the network of streams and rivers, oceans and seas. The blue depths of mysticism, the most powerful of the forces of nature. However, if you take a closer look, and find yourself strolling through, the smallest of the details will be what wins you over. A garland of the most vibrant blooms can be found in almost every corner of this fairy tale. They are colours to weave dreams from, as soft and gay as any silk. How they come from the earth, sunshine and rain feel akin to magic, even though the science is well known. The older Bulma becomes, the more she could see the miracle they are, better than any art made by human hand. 

So, she could claim to every passenger, to every friend or stranger. Poseidon was the most beautiful home to grew up in, where you are one with nature and could recognize the seasons merely by their scent instead of by the image of a changing nature, a blessing. However, there was more to the Poseidon than its strikingly magical nature. What made it so special were also the humans that resided here. Blessed by the gift of water, they could mend and bend anything made of liquid and were known for this gift throughout the galaxy. There were seven more planets besides the Poseidon in their solar system. Hephaestus, Ares, Zeus, Artemis, Dionysus, Janes and Demeter. Habitants of some were gifted with the ability to control one of the five elements by the mere strength of their mind, unfortunately, some planets were not us lucky, more concretely, three of the planets: Artemis, Dionysus and Janes. 

All of the three planets’ economy was based upon the requirements of the five ruling planets. People of Artemis, Dionysus and Janes were always competing in providing the best training gear, the fastest horses, the most delicious fruits and vegetables. Young souls of these planets had only one dream, and that is to make it to one of the richer, ruling planets and acquire an employment and position amongst their people. Somewhat, being accepted into one of the ruling societies was seen as the greatest acknowledgement. Bulma sometimes could not understand this way of thought, why would one’s objective be to leave his closest ones behind, why would working in the galley among people from Poseidon be a greater honour than being of the same status at your home planet where you will not have to abandon the future with a family? Yes, it was unheard of. Habitants of the inferior planets were not to be breed with ones from the superior planets. The reason for this was simply the risk of contaminating the gene pool. 

Mixed marriages could not produce children with the blessing of controlling any of the elements. Hence, if you are from the inferior planet the chances of finding a suitable mate were thin. On the other hand, she was more than aware that as the heir to the Poseidon’s throne, she could not comprehend other peoples dreams and aims in life. How could she? From her youngest age, she was handed everything on the golden platter, from the best education to the most skilled of the maids. She was privileged, but far from spoiled. Bulma had a humble personality, a sharp mind, kind words and a big heart. If to be fair, yes, sometimes she was regarded as stubborn, however, this was mostly attributed to her young age. Only 18, Bulma Briefs, of the royal family was one of the most loved and appreciated humans on this planet. 

She was throughout exceptional, not only by her kind character and wise mind, but she was admired for her unique beauty, deep cerulean eyes paired with the matching locks of long hair and many would agree that the brightness of her cheek would shame the stars. Her virtues would so strangely have taken up thoughts of many, unbound to the planet of Poseidon. Although sheltered by her parents, and being forbidden of attending official meetings with diplomats of other planets, words of her beauty have been whispered more and more frequently throughout the last few years. These whispers were what actually sealed young princesses fate. 

Bulma crossed her arms over her chest, and sighed shakily, a gesture her mother would not approve. She was standing on the brim of her balcony connected to her royal chambers. The faithful day was approaching, and as it neared she could feel most of her bravery slipping away. In one week, or merely seven days, princess Bulma was to leave her home, utter the hardest farewell and travel to the planet of Hephaestus were in ten days, she was supposed to say “I do” to the heir of the throne, mighty prince Vegeta. Hephaestus was also known as the strongest planets in the galaxy, nation of fire. Paired with their exceptional manipulation of ki, the sayijains were famous for the blessing of fire. This combined made them the ruling planet of the galaxy. As opposed to the fire they could bend to their will, their hearts were made of stones. The stories Bulma has heard labelled the sayijains as a cold and heartless nation, only seeking power and wealth. Their planet was a sad waste planet compared to Poseidon. With half the nature, the prevalence of sand and stone deserts and third of the water it represented everything Bulma did not desire for her future home.  
A small knock on the doors. Bulma closed her eyes, and filled her lungs with the scent of the flower garden just beneath her balcony, taking this small delight, trying to imprint it into her memories. The scent of home. Opening her eyes, the gloomy expression on her face disappeared, replaced by a cheerful smile, which somehow could not reach her eyes the way it used to. She twirled around and entered her royal chambers. Her favourite colour prevailed, few shades of ocean colour could be seen in the tapestry, and the decorations. Her chambers were one of the largest in the castle. They consisted of a parlour, bedroom, wardrobe, and a royal bathroom. The walls were coloured in Maya blue, without much decoration, the edges were lined with the golden ornamental carvings. Portrait of her family was placed on the largest wall, the handwork of old Mr Haimes, the most famous artist among the eight planets. In the living room, two sofas of the softest filling faced a fireplace, where the flames would live throughout the winter. The sleeping quarters in their centre held a large queen size bed with linen of the softest silk in cobalt blue. Dozens of pillows, all in sapphire blue decorated the bed. Bulma’s simplicity and grace were present throughout the chambers. Nightstand with a mirror was where the most expensive cosmetics and the best of perfumes had its place. Presence of the most exotic and beautiful flowers made Poseidon famous for the most captivating and alluring of the scents. Those were sent as gifts to the royal palace on monthly basis, each of the makers hoping that their scent would be worn by the royal family. On the opposite side of the nightstand, a large bookshelf held the most famous of the written literature in the galaxy, pages filled with history and politics were accompanied by the most beautiful of romance literature. In those books Bulma would dreamily envision her future, reading through the pages, diving into the dearest stories that took your breath away. Now, she felt as they were mocking her with their presence. Committing to the loveless marriage, where all her hopes and dreams of finding love are reduced to a political agreement was not a world where she wants to be reminded of what could have been. Needless to say, she was not planning on packing those. 

“You may enter” Bulma approved, although knowing all too well who was visiting her, making this gesture of knocking quite useless. She straightened her dress, more out of habit than of need, and took a short look at her reflection in the mirror, situated in the parlour. Her hair was already of waist length. Strong and soft as silk, it was perhaps her greatest asset - ‘or curse’ was a thought that crossed her mind. Her skin was fair, complexion among the finest you will see and eyes the mesmerizing depth of the ocean. Already of the age 18, her body was not any more of a young girl, she was in all right a young woman, a thought she herself was still getting familiar with.  
She wore a fairly simple dress by her standards. Although, anyone who saw her would be breathless, for Bulma, the complexity or simplicity of the dress were more or less reduced to its weight. Depending on the occasion, a dress would be heavier with materials, gems and stones if it was more formal. Today she wore a dark ashen dress, which reflected her mood and defied the spring that had taken over nature in Poseidon. The corset outlined her slender waist and harmonious breasts, the narrow sleeves hugged her arms, and from the waist down the dress fell freely. the edges of the dress were embroidered with silver thread and paired with the silver necklace she wore. A pendant, of precious sapphire stone, lay on her chest, and her whole appearance in its simplicity only further accentuated her beauty. Her hair fell freely, and her medium-length bangs stood neatly to the side, framing her face and emphasizing her eyes.

A woman dressed in much simpler, black dress entered princesses’ chambers. She carefully closed the doors behind her and took a look at the heiress standing in front of her. Bulma was smiling gracefully as ever, but Chi-Chi has known her for far too long to be fooled so easily. „Your excitement is radiant, your highness. “ Chi-Chi stated curtly. Crossing the distance between them, she opened one of her hands, handing a piece of paper to Bulma. “I am well aware that there are many uncertainties ahead of us, so I hope this could help.” Bulma hesitated for a brief moment before taking the paper from her friend. Indeed, Chi – Chi was one of her ladies in waiting for many years, and together they have shared some of the biggest milestones of growing up. To be honest, Bulma saw her more as a family than simply part of the court. The only ray of hope to be found in this predicament was that Chi-Chi was to be sent along with herself to the planet Hephaestus. Indeed, Bulma was at first selfishly radiant about the news of her friend accompanying her, however, she very well knew that Chi-Chi deserved to make the choice herself. And she did, meaning that Chi was also preparing to leave Poseidon for a long time, perhaps forever.  
“Is this what I think it might be?” The paper burned her hands, curious and terrified at the same time Bulma hesitated to open it. She walked to the sofa, and slowly lowered herself down, she took a deep breath, “I cannot, perhaps it is for the better if we ….” Chi-Chi interrupted her, sitting right next to Bulma and waving her hand at the princess, overemphasizing the gesture of cooling down (another gesture queen would not approve). If Bulma had a mirror facing her right now, she would notice her checks were fairly flushed.  
“I can do it for you. The truth that awaits you is nearing as we speak, I fear there is no time to waste. Every information we acquire can only aid you, dearest Bulma.” Chi-Chi extended her hand, trying to retrieve the letter she just offered away minutes ago. Chi – Chi was a descendant of a smaller royal family, her posture was firm and steady, dark eyes focused as ever. Her hair was as black as the blackest night and tied in a long braid that fell down her back. Brave, resilient, beautiful. Three words that described Chi-Chi perfectly in Bulma’s mind. Someone she could rely on completely. “You are right. This is not the time to be afraid. Could you please read it for me Chi-Chi?” Bulma handed the letter. The blue sky was dotted with fluffy white clouds that drifted lazily in the gentle breeze. The blazing midday sun shone relentlessly. The afternoon sun bathed her room in its warm light. Chi-Chi started reading. 

Dearest friend. As you say, I indeed had a debt to repay you, hence I am writing this letter. Although I am aware if it fell into the wrong hands, we might be in great danger and even risk the treaty of our kingdoms. As soon as you read the content of it, please, be wary to destroy it immediately. I fear that the rumours you might have heard are indeed the actuality. A young prince is as ruthless and powerful as you would expect from their elite class. At his young age of 28, he has many successful missions and conquests accomplished. He is regarded as one of the greatest warriors in the history of Hephaestus. Fire drove, determined and strong. I rarely see him at the court, however, I have heard numerous rumours that he found a mate within the war unit. The same rumours claim that the Queen herself demanded it to be broken. Other swear their life that the prince has no interest in such matters. What is certain is that his highness is forced into this agreement as well, and harbours only negative feelings towards it. As you know, it is unusual for the royalty of Hephaestus’ fire nation to join hand in marriage with water nation, which is considered as weakest of blessed nations. I am sorry for not being able to disclose more, I hope we will be able to discover the truth once you arrive. 

All the best, M.

The smallest hope, subconsciously harboured in her heart, broke into millions of smallest pieces. The vision of the prince that she might love was substituted with the image of a fire nation monster, thirsty for blood and power. 

Weakest of blessed nations. 

„Bulma, I am so very sorry, perhaps you were right and this was not...“ Chi-Chi was interrupted by the chilling voice of her princess. One she never thought to have heard before and one which used words Bulma has never used before. Each word was filled with resentment and unexpected force. 

„This only further confirms what I have already anticipated. I am not afraid of this. I am not afraid of him. Underestimating me might be the biggest mistake this monster will make. „


	2. Broken Promises and Unknown Paths

She met him on a bright morning of an early autumn day. It was actually a favorite season of the young princess. Or, it once was. The autumn in Poseidon was the time of hugs, of evenings with warm drinks, and warmer smiles. Oh, indeed, she was a lover of the autumn, of the colors that are bold and homely, strong - and yet a call to remember our earth and all she gives in the harvest months. Bulma would let her eyes soak in those scarlet maple-hands and the golden leaves that create more beauty than she would ever dare ask for. It is the season of inner calm and a kindly stoicism etched in memories of joy.   
On that day the trees were laughing once more, dressed in their carnival clothes, the gold, and scarlet of the autumn days. They played about the earthy hues of the branch and trunk, proud flags in any sky. As they did, sixteen years old Bulma took in the freshly calm air with that hint of an earthly aroma, the fragrance of homeliness and melancholy. Soon, the harvest carnival will start. However, Bulma was not allowed to participate yet again this year. Ever since she was 10 years old, and the pandemic of the great virus struck Poseidon, the overprotectiveness of her parents has escalated. Surely, a young child of her status should not roam the planet by her own will, safety measures always needed to be discussed and carefully implemented beforehand. This, however, never included formal events in the kingdom. She could vividly remember accompanying her parents on almost every occasion that was not overly diplomatic, always being in the center of attention. But then the virus struck and many lives were lost, and the economy crumbled. Whenever she would try to impose her curiosity (and later frustration) for being pushed out, vague answers offered only avoided concrete explanations. Brief mentions that due to the new developments this was for the best. To the young princess, this seemed indubitably connected to the economy and politics in the aftermath of the recent events. However, it took a dash older and wiser princess to ask the right questions and discover the right answers. 

Due to the diplomatic events arranged a day before the autumn carnival, many of the delegates were visiting Poseidon. Thus, her parents, the Queen and King of Poseidon extended a special invitation to those delegates to stay a day longer and enjoy the festivities. And so they did. Which ultimately made young heiress yet again uninvited from the event. Sixth year in a row. Every year different, dishonest excuse. Currently, she was painfully aware she might be the only royalty in the galaxy to have never traveled outside her planet. Moreover, truth to be told, the only royalty that knows more of her home planet from the books and lectures than through seeing and experiencing. Now, a sixteen years old adolescent, her perspective started to change. In the past few years, she began to question and doubt the rightness of such judgments more frequently. Approaching adulthood and the era when she will be expected to take on more and more diplomatic responsibilities, the young heiress felt as if she had been unjustly punished for a crime she did not even know she had committed. Like a bird in a golden cage.   
The illogicality of such actions became increasingly clear to young Bulma and more pressing questions weighed her heart. How will she take the responsibility of a ruler one day, if she will never comprise herself in these endeavors? Learning from books, reports, and outlines of the incessant meetings led by monarchs was only a small part of the experience. How will she one day lead the people of the planet to whom she is a stranger?  
Oh, yes, the young princess began to doubt the unusual actions of her parents, and like any other curious teenager, she began to ask questions. She confided with the right people and learned how to read between the lines. Indeed, ever since she was a small girl, her intelligence was applauded. So, you might wonder how did she miss the obvious truth? Well, in retrospect, Bulma herself realized she has always known the truth on a subconscious level, just was not ready to admit it.

The ugly, unspoken truth was revealed upon insisting. The heir of one of the greatest planets in the galaxy was a female without a suitable partner. A female successor was never seen equal to a male successor in its worth and was never given precedence in claiming the throne. The unfortunate significance of this was that the future of the kingdom will depend equally on the person who will rule alongside the princess one day. Only a kingdom with a wish of eradication would allow for a woman to rule by herself or with a partner that is not suitable. How this person was selected was a process that followed a few simple rules. Either it will be someone of Poseidon’s’ second ruling family, or it will be a member of royal family from another planet. The latter was not only in the interest of the current rulers of Poseidon, but also seen as a great opportunity for the remaining four superior planets. Such occasions of the merging of two kingdoms were not frequent, but they did happen.   
Each kingdom had 2 ruling families. Prime, was the family line of queen and king, the same line that provided the heir to the throne. The second ruling family, noble, wealthy, and highly regarded, could not rule in place of the king and queen, however, they could offer a spouse to rule alongside an heir to the throne. Bulma's spouse was originally supposed to come from the second ruling line. Sadly, the great tragedy that befell Poseidon six years ago took both young men from the second line. The great virus overthrew the great and powerful Poseidon, degrading its economy, taking thousands of lives, and leaving it exposed more than ever before in the past. Although the planet has recovered, it has not yet regained its old glory, and most importantly, it left young Bulma without a suitable mate. Signifying it was a fair game for other planets to compete. Which led her to the sickening discovery: no matter how nicely you wrap this truth, ultimately it comes to the fact that she was to be sold to the highest bidder.   
Hence, six years ago, she was not merely sheltered and put away due to the consequences of a pandemic, but rather to keep raising her value. Hiding her from the views of others, tactfully elevated the mystique surrounding the beauty and value of the young princess. Unusual as it seems, this was an old and famous publicizing move. Whatever can arouse people's interest more than the unbridled curiosity of the hidden beauty. Fragile princess in the need of a strong ruling hand. As the age suitable for marriage was approaching, eavesdropping in a local porterhouse and hearing something in these lines was common:

‘Perhaps its economy and strength were not what it used to be, but at least you would gain the most beautiful princess in the world! Or so they say! Not a lot of people have seen her for years ya know, it is to keep her safe and virtuous, can ya imagine?? Some say her hair is blue as the deepest water, some it is white as dove feathers. Her body of a goddess is something never seen in aaaall of the eight planets. Lucky will be the one to marry her, yes, I’ll say!’

So is it fair to blame a young girl, of mere age of sixteen to find this burden too heavy? This future unacceptable? Is it fair to blame her for making the mistake that would change the course of her future?   
The leaves danced from branch to ground, each a colorful flag without strings or pole, free to roam. She felt the breeze, rich with the aroma of the earth, the keeper of the seeds for the springtime to come.  
She smiled earnestly, eyes illuminated with hope. The hope of the young budding love. Breaking all the rules never meant to feel this good, how could it be? She twirled around to meet him, her forbidden love, and ultimately a man that will betray her in the worst way possible.  
She suppressed a giggle, “Yamacha, you came as you promised!”, she took the hand he offered and felt her cold palm press into his warm.  
He smiled sheepishly, “I would rather die than disappoint you, my princess”. His curtesy a second too long, and a smile that lasted a second too short. 

Three days. Precisely, 72 hours separated her from the inevitable fate. Only hours, minutes until the moment when she will say farewell to everyone and everything she has known and head to a new future. Dim, frightening, but hers. All she wanted in these moments was peace and quiet. Oh, if only she could wander aimlessly through the magical meadows and paths dearest to her heart. But, somehow quietly, that reality evaporated and instead of an opportunity, it became just a wish. Chaos and unrest reigned throughout the castle. Dozens of maids hurriedly walked down the halls, entering her chambers every now and then, packing some of her belongings. Bulma could not take part in this process, it was inappropriate for a royal family member to assist in these matters. Therefore, Bulma walked equally restlessly through her chambers, occasionally giving few instructions. But the truth is, she did not really care what of her belongings will follow her or remain inside these walls that would soon be empty and quiet for the first time in 18 years. Her heart was like a drum, beating in her chest. Muscles tense, dark circles slowly started to show the number of sleepless nights. Although the temperature was warm, and the back of her dress felt sticky and drenched with sweat, she felt shivers cursing her body whenever she would remember the letter Chi-Chi read to her just a few days ago. 

“What is certain is that his highness is forced into this agreement as well, and harbors only negative feelings towards it.”

It made her boil with rage. She wanted to kick and scream and use all those words she was not even supposed to be acquainted with. On the other hand, she felt like howling in disbelief and hurt. Hephaestus was never supposed to be promised land, and prince Vegeta never was her vision of prince charming. However, she was not expecting such resentment towards her. Yes, she was not the perfect suitor, but Poseidon was a kingdom of many treasures and she expected…more. Better.   
Perhaps, what infuriated her the most was her role in the entire play. If she had not been so naive and unwise, maybe today her future would look completely different. Certainly, she was most affected by the fact that the person who bears the most blame for her fate is herself. Maybe one day she will be ready to forgive herself, but at the moment it did not seem likely.  
Bulma’s recent trend of defying the spring was still in progress. In current days, the princess has not cared much about beautiful spring outfits in all of the warmest shades of spring. She preferred dresses that reflected her inner restlessness, fear, and regret. Today she wore a graceful black silk dress. It gently embraced her body and outlined the princess's features, her narrow waist, and breasts standing out. Her hair was tied in a relaxed but solemn bun, a pair of wavy strands adorned her face. Diamond earrings paired with a diamond necklace adorned her ears and chest. The only thing that did not fit into this divine image was her frown. It was the sea of the greatest qualms of this world. Feelings of destructive energy were accumulating inside of her, making the whole ordeal even worse. She felt imprisoned. The only thing that could bring her some release at this point was the discharge of that tension. There was only one way to do it, and for this, she desperately needed her closest friend, Chi-Chi.  
As if hearing her thoughts, a familiar and friendly face appeared among the sea of trivial ones. Chi-chi approached her and asked with a small curtesy, “Your Highness, may I invite you for a short walk on this beautiful day?” In different circumstances, Bulma would attempt to refrain from snickering at such courtesies, for the sake of others. However, at the moment, even with the utmost effort, she could not force her lips to smile. Instead, she pointed a confused glance at Chi-Chi. ‘Now? In the midday?’ Chi-Chi, as if still able to read her mind, nodded subtly. Chi – Chi gently took one eager princess by the arm and they left her chambers together. Standing tall, with graceful posture. It is all in appearances, after all. Walking through the large corridors of the palace, they would occasionally meet other servants and few guards. Chi-chi skilfully steered the princess along the already familiar paths and soon there was not a living soul in the corridor. Finally, feeling able to communicate freely, Bulma stopped abruptly and forced Chi-Chi to rotate around her axis.

“In broad daylight? Now? It's too dangerous!”

Chi-Chi smiled slightly and crossed her arms over her chest. “Yes, now! I arranged for everything, do not doubt my abilities. This area is reserved just for us, naturally with the help of few loyal and discreet friends. After all, in three days we leave our home, the marriage is already arranged, you have nothing to lose.”

Knowing well enough that Chi-Chi would never intentionally jeopardize the princess’s reputation, Bulma knew that there was no real risk of them being discovered. Therefore she followed her with full confidence until they reached the old oak door. The door she knew so well, doors that signified freedom and happiness. Young girls looked at each other, and at that moment, all their problems vanished. Just two friends planning to have a good time. Simply two girls eager for training. Forbidden training, of course.

Although the women of the royal line were not forbidden to practice sports and practice the power of bending water, Bulma was. A few years ago she exaggerated and injured herself, she spent weeks in bed and her parents forbade her from the training of any kind. Surprisingly, the princess did not listen. She continued to practice regularly, under cover of night, with her dearest partner in misconduct. When they went through kata, sparring, delicate water management, drawing shapes, creating increasingly impressive water cannons, all of her problems and fears would momentarily disappear. Bulma knew that compared to the other elements, water was not in many ways superior, but if the wielder knew what he was doing, they could change the course of combat at a crucial moment by inflicting lethal damage to the opponent.  
In just a few minutes both girls were wearing their usual exercise gear. One-piece suits, made of the highest quality spandex, clinging to the body. However, critical parts, such as the chest, back, knees, and elbows wore exceptional steel armors in black. They additionally served in training by repelling potential water assaults, so both person in training had to make the extra effort in achieving the objective. Winning the spar. Chi-Chi tied her disheveled hair in a high ponytail and assumed her position. Words were not needed, both girls communicated with movements and punches. Bulma’s full of energy and resentment, Chi-Chi’s, composed and thoughtful.  
The next 2 hours continued in the same tone. Until dinner time.  
What none of the girls knew at that moment was that before the clock struck midnight, they would set foot on the planet Hephaestus.

Queen Asahi observed her daughter during dinner. She seemed like her mind was a million miles away, or nowhere at all. It was hard to say. Although the queen has known her daughter as a back of her palm, last few months she felt almost like a stranger. Ever since the news of finally arranging her marriage with prince Vegeta arrived, Bulma withdrew. And it was excepted, such decisions were never taken lightly and the queen could not even start to comprehend how this must have felt. She loved her daughter with all her heart. Everything she ever did was to shelter her, to help her. But rules were rules and were meant to be followed. However, on some sleepless nights, she could not help but wonder if this is how love should be. Whether love was setting her free and showing her the great world beyond, or rather hiding her from all harm? In the endgame, it did not matter. The decisions were never hers, not even theirs. Laws, policies, history demanded a story to develop a certain way, and even moving mountains could not change that fact. Bulma’s cheeks were flushed with a faint blush, her hair in a rather messy bun. Her whole appearance was bordering with inappropriate for someone of her status. Oh, the queen could guess the recent whereabouts of her daughter, and she was proud of it. The only thing that child had was her strength, building her body to help carry the weight of her burdens was the wisest decision, which the queen would never openly support, naturally.   
When do protecting your child from the truth, sheltering them from the pain becomes a deed out of shame, rather than love? Even now, merely a few days from letting her child venture a new unknown future, the great queen of Poseidon could not force herself to tell the truth that needed to be laid out in the open. She shut her eyes for a second too long and took a deep breath. Some empty words were exchanged between her daughter and her husband. She wished for the more pressing topics to be discussed. Nevertheless, she could not take the initiative, it is the king’s duty, after all, to discuss such important matters. However, somewhere deep inside her, where only truth lived, the queen knew very well this was a shared responsibility. 

King of Ares was the first ruler to ask for a young princess’s hand in marriage. A sick and vile man, a man she knew all too well. His offer arrived on the same day that the incident took place, two years ago. Perfect timing to turn the odds in his side. Yamacha, a young man from planet Ares was secretly writing to princess Bulma, singing her the most genuine songs of love, giving her the greatest of the promises. All with one objective orchestrated by kind of Ares, Kuragari. Crush her reputation of virtue, lower her worth in the eyes of other rulers, shame her, and humiliate her. And all of this so the only competitor left is the monster himself. Asahi knew very well that she will never forgive herself for allowing this to happen, they should have known better and have anticipated such foul attempts. The only way he could claim her daughter’s hand is if there was no one else offering. And others were sure to withdraw if the greatest virtue of the princess, her virginity was questionable. Just a seed of doubt was more than enough.   
Yamacha convinced her to meet in person. One of the rules, Bulma was instructed never to infringe. Oh, her poor naive child. How could she even resent this mistake? At such a tender age, she was forced to carry a heavy burden, one of the future controlled more by other than herself. Where all you want is freedom and normality, but such things are never written in your stars. Perhaps, Asahi could partially understand since she never envisioned this future for herself as well. King Suijin was not the man she dreamed about, becoming a queen was a possibility, however, never her aspiration. Upon meeting in person, Yamacha persisted with his romantic conquest, and smitten Bulma, of only sixteen, breached another rule. She allowed him to kiss her. There were witnesses, not only their presence carefully planned, but their positions as well. Two delegates of planets Demeter and Zeus witnessed this, along with a few of their servants. Undeniably a perfect audience. By the sunset of that day, all but the kingdom of Ares, have withdrawn their offers for marriage. 

“May I be excused?” Asahi was brought back to the current reality, leaving the past behind. Her daughter's eyes, in this dim lighting, dark as the ocean in the storm, regarded her in confusion.   
“Yes my dear, you may leave. I wish you a good night, may Poseidon visit you in your dreams.”   
Bulma stood up slowly, followed by a short curtesy. “I wish you the same.” With those words, Bulma started walking away. Perhaps, if she knew this was the last time to see her mother, perhaps she would tell her all those words and thoughts that were kept in her heart. She would have told her that no matter what, the love she feels for her is overwhelming and invincible. And no matter the storms and waves that crush them, her feelings would never be altered. She would have let the queen embrace her, with all the might and love only a mother can show. But at that moment no one knew anything about the fate that awaited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate your feedback, let me know your thoughts :) Also, the next chapter will be packed with major events and action, and of course longer!


	3. "I want to live"

Bulma laid wide awake in her bed. The sheets were already scrambled and messy from the young heiress’s attempts to get comfortable and finally fall asleep. She turned in quite early, hoping to get some sleep, but sleep avoided her, and cruelly so. Lingering in the back of her mind, like a word on top of your tongue. You can feel its closeness, but cannot reach it. She sighed deeply and put arms behind her head. It has been days, (weeks?) since the last time she had some decent sleep. Today’s training session with Chi-Chi drained her psychically, however, her mind refused to give in. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the soft summer breeze touching her bare skin. Whenever she had trouble falling asleep, she would try to imagine all kinds of scenarios in her head. Her favorite one was about wandering through the woods, the rain was falling, soothing her senses and her mind. No other sounds but raindrops hitting the ground. She was free. In her imagination, she would aimlessly wander through the wooden paths, and there was always someone waiting for her. But no matter how her mind tried she could never envision the figures face. She tried with almost every face she got acquainted with, however, no one ever fitted. But it never really bothered or frightened her, she would concentrate on the smell of the rain, the rain that sometimes felt so comforting and warm on her skin.

For a water bender, the most comfortable environment was the one that contained the water sources. Pound, river, sea, ocean, it did not matter as long it was anything in a liquid state. For bender did not only wield water but could with more experience and practice, wield anything of a liquid consistency. When Bulma would close her eyes and dream about rain falling and caressing her skin in the softest manner it would help her feel safe. She could see all of the million threads that connected her inner core and all of the muscles from her body with every drop of rain.

Specifically, this was the third out of five levels of water bending mastery. Every blessed human with the gift of bending would start off at the first level, meaning they could sense the presence of water, and with some effort manipulate its form and direction. Perfect for gardeners, not so efficient for warriors. The second level meant seeing the threads. In comparison, the closest example Bulma was given as a child, was seeing the silver lining connecting your body with the source. Beginners could notice those linings only when connected with larger amounts of water, that you could easily bond with. This included oceans, seas, rivers...however, smaller threads were still invisible. The second level also meant better manipulation of the sources and paired with a good physique, stronger manipulations. This was the minimum requirement for joining the military training of Poseidon. The third level, and the one Bulma was currently herself, was seeing or sensing the smaller threads, she could trace the silver linings to every drop of rain, every splash of water. She could manipulate them with the power of her mind, and more importantly, thread the linings _inwards_ , or perform so-called _transmitting bending_. This meant she could transform the water she was connected with into the pure energy, transmit it to her body, and release it thorough her limbs. That is how water cannons, ropes, and whips were made.  
However, there were some difficulties with such manipulation. Firstly, you would need a powerful mind and body to follow suit. Doing transmitting bending took a great toll on one’s mind, exhausting them shortly and the same was with the body. Therefore, it was of utmost importance to train your mind and body, hoping to fully grasp the power of this level as well as to hope for acquiring the fourth level. Those who could reach level four were usually the generals and highly regarded warriors of the first class. They could detect and utilize threads that led to underground sources, as well as easily manipulate anything made of liquid with the same force. For them, manipulating was as easy as breathing. Ultimately, making them suitable to fight or survive anywhere where at least an underground water source existed. Unfortunately, using this form of bending for long periods of time left consequences.

Usually, after merely 10 – 15 years these warriors would need to retire since their minds and bodies spent too much of time at the same level without progressing. Levels one, two, and three were easily retainable through life, however, the last two ones where like siblings. Like two sentient begins in the need of each other. And if one was there without the other, it would wither with time and ultimately disappear. Like a plant without water. This was one of the main reasons why Poseidon was not regarded as one of the strongest. The last person to reach the final level was Amaya. Also known as the “Night rain”, the greatest elite warrior Poseidon had before he retired due to old age. It so happens to be, that he was Bulma's tutor from her earliest age. Ever since the accident, he was retired from that post as well, but still, he would occasionally train Bulma in secrecy. Losing his position led to losing his place in the castle, and was rewarded with an impressive land just on the outskirts of the royal palace. Sometimes, Bulma would sneak out and visit him, his words always warm and soothing, filled with experience and wisdom accumulated over the years. She regarded him as a fatherly figure and enjoyed his company. The last time she saw him was two weeks ago, and on that day he gave Bulma advice, which she still could not fully comprehend or accept.

His hair was long and grey, always gathered in a messy ponytail. His features stiff and timeworn, but his eyes vivid as the deepest corner of the ocean, blue, sharp, and intelligent. On that day he crossed his arms over his still muscular chest and closed his eyes listening to the wind. Bulma, who was getting more upset as the big day was approaching, nervously played with the few drops of water, rising them, flying them from left and right, and finally releasing them to the ground. Heavy thoughts were troubling her. She pointed her glance towards Amaya, undecided if she should interrupt his track of thoughts. As if he could sense this, Amaya, without turning to face her broke the silence.

“Child, this is an opportunity to speak your mind. Heavy thoughts need to be translated into words, once said out loud the weight from your heart will lessen.”

Bulma swallowed hard, tried to speak, but no words were there. She nervously played with her fingers and took a shaky breath. Once she started talking, it was hard to stop. “Most of my life I was trapped. By rules, people, false pretenses, duty. But I was never alone, and now…whatever awaits…I am terrified of being lonely, of being separated from Chi-Chi. Exchanging one cage for another, however, this time it will be just me. How will I endure this? I might never again see my parents or you. And it breaks my heart. To be like this, powerless.” A soft sob threatened to escape, but Bulma was already trained very well to shy away from such shameful display of emotions. It was never befitting for the young heir to cry in public. For what seemed like hours to Bulma, but was in reality seconds, there was silence. Warm late spring wind was blowing, in the distance, crickets chanted the songs of summer to come.

Amaya was still looking away when his raspy deep voice answered,

“Loneliness, my dear Bulma, does not mean being alone. The man who cannot look at his reflection in the mirror is a lonely man. The man who shies away from his problems is alone. No one wants to be alone, everyone wants to be in the warmth of someone’s presence. A lonely man is the one who thinks he does not deserve to be loved. Loneliness is not just being separated from someone, loneliness is when “goodbye” does not exist. Make all your dreams come true because every story will come to an end. You see, loneliness sometimes is not just darkness, sometimes it is much more than that. It is not just turning your back on someone, loneliness is letting go of what you carry within you. If love is your destiny you will never be lonely. It means you will stay with those you love or hate to the very end.”

Bulma first blinked in confusion, and soon after in understanding. Amaya's tale was a tragic one. He was in love once, but ambition led him in a different way. Perhaps he thought there will be a time for settling down later, or perhaps he thought he did not want that future at all. He left her and followed his dreams. She died a year later in an accident. A year after his brother died of sudden and grave illness. He lost everything and blamed himself for it. Blamed himself for never being there. Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment, Amaya never spoke of his burdens, “I apologize...” Bulma started but was quickly interrupted. “Do not apologize. Yes, I am speaking from experience, my dear princess. Not because I wish to share my burden with you, but because I want to give you a piece of honest advice. You have a good heart, and a sharp mind, open those two, and you will never be lonely. Remember, in life there is nothing worse than living with the weight of missed opportunities, living with regret. Use wisely everything that life offers, and make no regrets.”

Now, laying in her bed, Bulma thought about his words and what they meant. Simply, she should open her mind and heart to the opportunity. Such bravery to always look ahead, the kind she was not sure she possessed. She bolted in her bed and jumped off the bed. Her body was aching for some rest. But her mind was screaming in uneasiness, and instead of finding comfort in Amaya’s words, only restlessness awakened. She paced across her chamber and entered her closet, there is a hidden floor compartment with her training gear. She took it with her and thrown it onto the bed. In one swift motion, her nightgown ended up on the warm wooden floor, leaving Bulma in nothing more than her undergarments. She swiftly put her gear on, loving that it fitted like a glove, an old but familiar and comforting glove. She tied her hair up and reached for the protective gloves, always tucked away in the pockets. As she slid one hand in, a low rumbling voice startled her, she screamed and dropped the other glove to the floor.

“I always did wonder what was hiding underneath all of those layers of fabric. Indeed, I like what I see, your highness.” A familiar voice, but she could not quite place it. Her heart was beating in her chest, and beads of sweat started to form on her forehead. Intruder. In her chambers. In the palace. Fear gripped her body and she froze in her tracks. Slowly, she forced herself to face the intruder, although her subconsciousness already decoded the voice behind her. There in the shadows of her room, next to the balcony curtains stood a young man she met as a boy. A boy whom she thought she might have even loved for a brief moment, a boy who betrayed her. Yamacha stepped out of the shadows and smiled viciously.

“What are…” she mumbled, “How are you…?” shock was so overwhelming that it was hard to concentrate. Her mind was simultaneously trying to make logic of this image before her, to comprehend how could something like this have happened. What did he want? How did he get into her chambers unnoticed? Suddenly, in a matter of seconds, her mind made the most important conclusion. She was home, she was safe. In the palace filled with guards, it will take a matter of seconds for someone to arrive and put this man in his rightful place. Filled with newfound bravery, Bulma felt her muscles relax a little, and her ability to speak was back to normal.

“How dare you enter my chambers. For this a death penalty is certain, the guards will be here in a matter of seconds, _lord_ Yamacha”, putting an extra effort to sarcastically emphasize the title used. She could not tell for sure, but her gut led her to believe that when young Yamacha falsely represented himself as a lord in the letters, it was partly because of the shame about his poor background. And right she was. His face darkened, expression of pure rage overtaking his features. “How dare you mock me, you bitch! If I were you I would be very careful. Do you perhaps hope for the guards to come to your rescue? Your father, mother? You should not foster false hopes, because the truth is, nobody is coming.” Even without any additional explanation, Bulma simply knew, deep in her heart, she knew this was not a lie. This vile man was telling the truth. Yamacha, encouraged by her astonished expression, continued, “His majesty took all of the precautions for this to go smoothly. Not a single soul will come to your rescue because no one will hear your screams.”

Tricks, potions, dark magic. The forte of the planet Ares, only one among the ruling planets that could not control any of the elements. But still, they were hands deep in dark magic. So, Bulma could only imagine what this meant. She swallowed hard, realizing that she will need to handle him alone. Again as if Yamacha could read her mind, he continued to anticipate her every plan. Two more men revealed themselves, dark long capes hiding their bodies, one with the mask of an owl, another hiding behind the snout of a wolf. Bulma took a step back, dawning realization forming in her head. She was in serious danger and was in no way capable of taking care of all three men by herself. Bulma slowly assumed her fighting stance. Her mind franticly looking for any threads, apart from the jug of water on her nightstand, nothing was showing up. She assessed that the amounts of water could be manipulated into a rope or a whip if she could just buy a few seconds of advantage. She knew the palace as the back of her palm, she could run and hide in the training grounds, there was a substantial amount of water there. Another solution was using the jug water as hemp to open the spin in the royal bath. However, this would take too much time, time those three men would use to take her down. ‘ _Distraction it is_ ’.

Yamacha, this time unaware of her plans decided to relish in this newfound sensation of superiority and power. When the man with the snout of the wolf took a step forward, Yamacha stopped him with a wave of his left hand. “Oh, I do not want to hurry this event. I want young princess here to tremble with fear and scream in horror before we even start this. I want her to know the truth”. Bulma’s determination was wavered by this, pausing her plans of escape. “Would you like to know the reasons behind this surprising offer of marriage from Hephaestus? Oh, I just know you would like to hear that.” His smile was a perfidious one. Without waiting for confirmation he proceeded to explain. “It was not King Vegeta that made the offer. Not even planet Hephaestus.” The room was suddenly filled with the sounds of his laughter, echoing and making Bulma shiver from the malicious intent inwrought in it.

He managed to control himself and his laughter soon turned into a grin. “It was your father that made the offer, the great king of Poseidon who begged for this arrangement to take place.”  
“Lie!” Bulma again found her voice. Lies, lies, lies. “They were the ones to initiate the agreement, I know this for a fact.” Somehow, her tone sounded anything but sure. Truth to be told, she found their offer strange from the beginning, why would such a strong and prideful nation seek a queen among their people. Truth to be told, Bulma always felt the whole story was off but lacked in courage to pursue these doubts. Truth to be told, she once again feared the truth she might discover.

“No, no, no. Your father begged, and offered the newest secret project by your science and medic department in exchange for…well, you become a whore to Prince Vegeta.” He snickered, seeming very content with the opportunity to break this news to the young princess. “All of this just to save you from king Kuragari, the destiny that awaits you regardless. Did you know that only women from a fire nation can bear children with fire blessings? And if you are unable to produce a child with the fire blessing within the limit of the two years, the marriage is nullified?” Her expression clearly showed she knew no such thing. Indeed, she did not know that this marriage was what? Short-termed? Her mind tried to process all of the information that Yamacha gave her, and again deep inside her, she knew, he was not lying.

“I would rather die than agree to any proposition coming from you or your king. I would rather die by my own hand than let that monster touch me.” Her teeth were gritted with anger. It overshadowed all other feelings present, confusion, fear, sadness all disappeared under the overwhelming rage that consumed her. She was tricked, lied to, manipulated, sold as an asset, as an object. Her whole life she never had freedom in anything. Long honed anger overtook her body. She stays and fights, she stays and dies. Nothing seemed to matter anymore, there was no hope, no future to look towards to.  
She pulled on the thread, and like a water snake coming to life, water in the jug crawled towards Bulma. Nice and steady, the element of surprise was perhaps the only advantage she had. Just as the water snake made its way towards her, a draft of fresh air touched her ankles.

What played out next, in reality, lasted for less than a minute, however in Bulma’s mind it seemed like an eternity. She turned to the doors behind her, and there she was. Chi-Chi was standing, tall and proud, fearless. She was wearing her training gear, and her cheeks were flushed, hair in a messy bun. “I am warning you, leave now.” Her voice composed, brave. Like it always was. Oh, how Bulma sometimes wished she possessed the same brave composure as Chi-Chi.

Yamacha was obviously struck by this uninvited guest, he turned to the man with the snout of the wolf. “I am not finished! Kill this bitch that dares to INTERUPT ME!” The man wasted no time, he began to cross the distance between them, and Bulma’s mind started to panic. Rage quickly replaced with fear. In the next second Bulma did the only thing her panicked mind could come up with. She quickly ran and tried to insert herself in his path, she slid in his way and planted her foot. The man tripped over the desperate little trap and fell face on the floor. In the process, the knife flew out his grasp and slid over to Chi-Chi. And this is when it was obvious that her calmness was simply a façade because she made an immense slipup. She instinctively reached for the knife, grasping it with her right arm.

Bulma watched with horror as Chi-Chi took the knife in her hand, not knowing what will happen next, but assuming it will be something horrible. “No, drop it!”, but the warning came too late. The knife made a loud mechanic sound, and numerous small blades jumped out, piercing Chi-Chi’s right hand in the process. She hollowed in shock and pain, and the next second when the blades have retracted, the knife fell to the floor, her hand lifelessly hanging covered in blood. Chi-Chi fell to her knees, teeth gritted in pain, tears of horror and pain streaming down her cheeks. Bulma was never the one to take the lead, one to make important decisions quickly, however, this was not due to her incapability, but rather due to the lack of opportunity. Suddenly she experienced a moment of crystal clearness, and she knew exactly what she had to do. Bulma sprinted over to Chi-Chi in such speed that to Yamacha it seemed as she teleported herself. Without hesitation Bulma landed a decisive and precise kick to Chi-Chis neck, knocking her unconscious. She bolted for the door left open and ran as fast as her legs could carry her.

* * *

Only three people in the whole palace knew that earlier that evening a space ship has docked into the Poseidon’s royal docking bay. That three people were the king, the queen, and a traffic technician on duty. At the moment Bulma bolted for those doors, all of the three were in deep sleep. Completely unaware of the imposters invading the palace. Kakarot and Raditz were supposed to arrive two days later and provide Bulma and Chi-Chi, as well as a few servants, and escort to Hephaestus. However, their mission ended sooner than anticipated, and for practical reasons, they arrived earlier. Right after docking, both Saiyans agreed that staying within the small sleeping chambers was in their best interest. They had no desire in engaging with anyone within the palace unless necessary. In fact, they shared some of the similar thoughts as were written in the letter that Chi-Chi read to Bulma. Raditz, a harsh and ruthless man strongly opposed the idea of an outsider assuming the vital position of Vegeta’s partner, no matter how long it lasted, it was an utter disgrace, a dark mark in the history of their home. Kakarot, a man of good nature, and a kind heart did not share those feelings exactly. In reality, he only felt sorry for Vegeta being pushed into this. It seemed like an unfair decision, forced upon him by his parents. Though admittedly he was curious about the princess, he has heard a lot of different rumors, and while gossips did not interest him, they did spike an interest. The mission they just finished was a tough one, both men were exhausted and relished in the opportunity to have peace and quiet for two days in a row. Who knows when such a chance would occur again.

Raditz was stretched out in his bed, feeling exhaustion catching up with him, and would probably be fast asleep by now. That is if it were not for Kakarot, who was sitting on his bed and talking constantly. Both of them were still in their fighting gear and had no intention of changing until the next day. “Tomorrow I want to take a walk through Poseidon. I have never before seen a water bender in action! What do you say Raditz?” Kakarot’s tone was cheerful as usual and his curiosity as present as ever. Raditz gave up from even glancing in the direction of Kakarot, the fool did not want to shut up, and his neck was hurting again. It was that damned bed. His neck would always hurt after weeks spent sleeping on the damned hard mattresses. He swore for the hundredth time to himself that the next time he will bring his own. “No. I plan to stay here until the time to leave arrives. Believe me, you are not missing out.” He yawned loudly and decided the time has come to finally get some sleep. “Now, shut up and let me sleep Kakarot.”, he turned his back to him, hoping the gesture would be enough.

“Hey, Raditz…” Kakarot started again but was immediately interrupted.

“Kakrot, I swear if you do not shut the hell up, I will kick you in the head. “ Empty threats however did nothing to stop him. “No, listen. Can you hear it?” Kakarot strained and concentrated all of his Saiyan senses on the sounds. Raditz was not impressed by these questions but decided to comply nevertheless, one of Kakarot’s flaws or traits, depending on the outlook, was his stubbornness. “I hear nothing, now leave me be.” Indeed, he could not hear any noises, and this silence was something he was planning to take advantage of.

“Exactly. I cannot hear a sound as well. It is still early, and should it not be more commotion in the palace? Think of Hephaestus, if there was ever a silence like this, it would mean something bad has happened.” Saying this out loud made even more sense than the silent doubts in his mind. His expression now a picture of concentration and wariness. This seemed to make an impact with Raditz, who turned to face Kakarot. He sat up in his bed and listened. Nothing. Now when he has become aware of this quietness, the whole dimension of cherishing it was replaced with a sinister atmosphere. “We know nothing about the habits of these people, perhaps it is a part of their routine.” Even him himself knew that this assumption made no sense. His instincts were on par with Kakarot’s. Something was just not right.

“FINE!” he yelled more to himself than at his brother. “Let’s check this place out. Come on.”

Both men left their chambers and ship behind and entered the docking area. The stillness was so palpable, it made both of them uneasy. There was no one there, not a single soul. They exited the docking area, and in the halls, they stumbled upon the first body. It was a young technician that overlooked their arrival. He did not know his face, but his name tag disclosed his identity. Raditz and Kakrot looked at each other in understanding, Kakarot crouched next to the body and checked for a pulse. It was there, present and steady, he left a sigh of relief. “He is alive; it seems as he is just sleeping.” However, the conclusion brought no relief, and only further spiked the feeling something was very much wrong. They continued in randomly following the hallway, hoping to stumble upon somebody who can explain what was happening. But in the next few minutes, they discovered ten more bodies, all seeming to be in a deep state of slumber.

“Maybe we should report…” Kakarot stopped in the middle of the sentence. The sudden smell of blood burned his senses. As he turned to see if Raditz felt the same, they heard footsteps approaching. Assuming their fighting position, Raditz said in a hushed tone, “I will take care of this, you go and report, we need instructions.” Kakarot nodded and turned to leave when he heard a faint gasp coming from in front. A young woman was standing there, her right palm covered in blood, seeming to be in an utter state of shock from stumbling upon them. Chi-Chi gasped in utter horror and turned on her heels to run. However, a voice coming from one of the men stopped her in tracks.

“Miss, we mean no harm! Don’t leave! We are an escort from planet Hephaestus, could you please explain what is happening here?” Kakarot took the lead, being the better diplomat of two, trying not to further scare the young lady standing in front of them. His words made the desired effect, as horror on her face was replaced with one of understanding and hope. She closed the distance between them and took his warm hand into her cold one, startling Kakarot in the process.

“We are under attack, Ares. He, no Yamacha, they. They want to hurt her, I…I…I tried to help but I could not…” tears streamed down her cheeks, and gasping for air, Chi-Chi continued, “Princess is in the danger. Everyone. Everyone is asleep, drugged. They chased her. Please help me.” She lost her balance and almost fallen to the floor if it weren’t for Kakarot who cached her on time. “Don’t worry, we will help. Point us in the right direction where the princess is.” It was not easy to keep his voice in check, he was deeply disturbed by this event, seeing this poor girl hurt this bad and thinking of the princess who was in grave danger. But even more, familiar rage burned in his chest. It was a well-known fact that Hephaestus was never on good terms with Ares. Slimy, sneaky, treacherous. Qualities of Ares that represented everything Kakarot and his men hated so intensely. “Please tell me in which direction we should search for.” He urged Chi-Chi that seemed disoriented and on verge of the unconscious. Her wound was a serious one, and he could not imagine how dreadful this all must have been for her.

Chi-Chi felt she was slipping away, the hit from Bulma was not a grave one, however, its effect was nullified with Chi-Chi’s high levels of adrenaline. Unfortunately, the short-termed effect of such power was slipping away much faster than she hoped for. And she was not sure where Bulma was, her only logical guess was the training grounds. However, if she was wrong, then…. then it was all over. She swallowed hard and decided to listen to her gut, “Training grounds. Just…. just follow the hallway, and, turn right when you see…. a portrait, of…of…royal family…” Her vision started to blur, and her saviors face started to lose shape, with her last ounce of control she tried to share the most important thing, “stairs, go right until the…wooden oak doors.” With those words, her world was wrapped into the darkness, and Chi-Chi lost her consciousness.

“Fuck.” Was all Raditz was capable of saying. This was far more serious than what they have originally anticipated. And the worst part was they were officially here. Which meant they could be held responsible if the princess is not rescued tonight. The last conclusion completely awakened Raditz's senses, “Listen to me Kakarot, take this woman and call home. Report that this is now an extraction mission. The number of intruders is unknown, and we have a priority here. Getting princess back with us, and I guess this one too.” As he was getting ready for a sprint, Kakarot stood up with a young woman in his hands. “No. People might be just asleep, but the queen and the king are among those people, we cannot just leave!”

“Shit we can’t! Listen to me fool, we are barely in condition to fight, and for all we know, there might be a fucking army of men here! You know those sick bastards. They are capable of anything!” These words made the desired impact on the young warrior. They were exhausted and could without a problem take out a few of them with raw power. However, dealing with Ares often meant you need more than power, you need to concentrate and remain extremely careful to not get hit with their dark magic. And if the princess is their goal, getting her to safety should be their priority. Kakarot clenched his teeth and without looking Raditz in the eye, made his last request. “Fine, but I will go after the princess. No matter what you say, I have better instincts in orienting in unknown territory, take this woman.” He handed Chi-Chi gently over to his brother. And though this kind of a bald statement would earn him a kick or two, and at least a few curses from Raditz, the seriousness of the situation left him in no mood for such brawls. Kakarot was right, he was the better person for the job. He took Chi-Chi in his arms and gave his final advice. “Hurry.” Kakarot shook his head in understanding and ran as fast as he could.

* * *

Bulma panted heavily, she ran as fast as she could, but those three were right behind her. As she neared the training ground, her mind made an unsettling discovery. The door might be locked. Chi-chi was apparently the last person there, and she usually did not lock the doors, but still…there was a possibility. The possibility that meant certain death or worse for Bulma. She jumped over the few bodies she stumbled upon, and hoped in her heart they were not dead. The doors. She could see them now, and made a small prayer in her heart, that the doors were not locked. Stopping abruptly and without much hesitation, she grabbed the doorknob and pulled with all her might. With a loud creak the door opened and for a brief second Bulma felt hope. Hope she might have a chance of surviving this night. It was strange, how recently she was ready to die, but now she was fighting for her life. The truth was that she wanted to live. As long as there is one person in this world who will risk life for her, as Chi-Chi was ready tonight, it was worth fighting for. For Amaya, for Chi-Chi, and for herself.

_'I... I want to live!'_

She ran into a large room and opened the nearest faucet on the wall as fast as she could. The water, a sweet consolation, began to flow, giving her confidence that she would overpower the monster after all. However, in just a few seconds, the flow of water has stopped. A small puddle collected on the floor and that was it. Bulma inhaled in shock and turned towards the entrance of the room. There stood three figures. Like the horsemen of demise who finally surrounded and cornered their prey. They walked slowly and confidently into the room. Yamacha smiled with obvious pleasure and at that moment Bulma realized. Water, the only source of hope has already been removed from the equation. He was serious when he said that King Kuragari made sure everything went smoothly. At this point, only someone in the fourth stage of water bending could resist the intruders. she swallowed hard, but a lump of fear in her throat was still present.

"Did you think we would let you do something like that?" He laughed out loud, and she somehow knew that even the figures under the mask were smiling. Leisurely and with conviction, they began to reduce the distance between them. _‘Not like this’_ , she thought, _‘not without a fight’_.

"Three on one does not seem fair. Are you so afraid of one little princess?" If she loses, it will be in a battle. The only course of a destiny she hoped to control at the moment. "Oh, are you suggesting a one-on-one fight? I would say we do not have that much time, yet, I believe it will not take long." He smirked wickedly, "I promised you would scream tonight, and as you know I am a man of my word." Yamacha himself laughed at his pointless pun, and in one quick motion discarded his cloak. Masked figures remained in place, as Yamacha came closer and stopped in the middle of the arena.  
‘All right’, she thought, ‘remember the training, you can do it’. Taking a few more steps closer to Yamacha, she spread her legs slightly, squatted, and assumed her fighting stance. Yamacha decided to make the first move, and in a second, he covered the distance between them and swung his right fist in the direction of Bulma’s head. Without much effort, she avoided his first strike, bent under the reach of his fist, and struck the first blow. She punched the Yamacha hard in the stomach with her fist and heard the air fly out of his lungs. He did not anticipate it. Deciding that this small advantage was something to take advantage of, she clenched her left fist and swung hard towards his head. And again, for the second time she succeeded, Yamacha staggered and clung to his head. "You bitch, you damn bitch!" roaring, with a force she did not expect, he swung his leg.

She tried to avoid his blow by bending again below the stroke line, but it seemed that this trick could not work twice. The moment his leg was above her head, Yamacha swung strongly downward. She received a severe blow to the head and fell facedown to the floor. The adrenaline in her body struggled with the darkness that was approaching, creeping from the dark corners of her consciousness. Forcing herself to stand up and open her eyes, she tried to see where he was since she could not locate him in her line of sight. Below the place where she had received the blow, warm blood was dripping, the smell of metal filled her nostrils, and a dark curtain of redness blurred vision in her left eye. Firm arms grabbed her from behind, one wrapped around her neck like a snake, and the other around her waist. She felt his hot breath in her ear. "Unfortunately I have clear instructions to bring you alive, but ... a promise is a promise." He pushed her with all his might, and losing her balance she fell to the floor. She turned towards Yamacha who was already crouching beside her, as he waved his hand at the two onlookers.

"You, hold her up, you by the legs." Soon all three men were above her. The figure with the wolf mask held her tightly under the ribs, the person with the owl mask grasped her legs. Bulma felt panic and horror grip her body. She did not even want to imagine what would happen next, and she did not have to, because Yamacha was not planning on wasting time. He grabbed her right palm and pressed it into his. He groaned at her and gently whispered in a voice full of false tenderness, "this wonderful gentle hand, which wrote me letters, how many times have I dreamed of it touching me, caressing me, sheltering me ..." he bent down as if to kiss her palm, but instead, he licked it, provoking laughter from the other two men, and disgust from Bulma. This man was deeply disturbed, and she knew well that insanity was more dangerous than anything else. She tried to pull her hand away from his, but the grip was too strong.

"Why ... WHY ARE YOU RUNNING AWAY FROM ME??? WHORE!" With all his strength he grabbed Bulma’s index finger and pulled it into an unnatural direction, breaking it in the process. Bulma suppressed a cry of pain, feeling the first tear run down her cheek. ‘I will not afford him that pleasure.’ The silence that followed instead of the screams Yamacha hoped for, sparked additional anger. He grabbed her middle finger and repeated the same procedure without much hesitation. Excruciating pain flowed through her hand and she let out a low sob. "Ah, here it is, that is better. Let us see if we can do even better than that." He took the next finger and twisted it with savage and unnecessary force, followed by a crunch, and this time Bulma sobbed louder, tears flowing down her face as she pleaded for the unconscious to take over her body and stop this torture. But the darkness did not come, pain drumming in her head and arm continued mercilessly. Yamacha let go of her right hand and took her left hand. "A little more, I feel. And there we are." he took the index finger of her left hand and just as he was about to break it, a large ball of fire hit him in the back.  
The three men looked at the door in shock. There stood Kakarot with an expression of pure fury, fists clenched on his sides.

The three men were in shock. At the entrance to the hall, there stood no less and no more than Kakarot. The famous warrior of the planet Hephaestus. Kakarot, the right hand of Prince Vegeta. The son of an even more famous warrior, Bardock. Yamacha felt doubt and ... fear for the first time that night. He knew five more masked men were with him that evening, scattered in the castle. Eight of them on Kakarot was a pretty good ratio. But then again, do they have time to wait for others? This was a secret mission, no one but Bulma was allowed to see them, no one was allowed to be a witness. He already knew he would have to go back for the girl in the Bulma’s chambers, but this ... The very fact that Kakarot could see him meant great misfortune for Yamacha. The king will never forgive him if he is associated with this incident. His back scorched, he could smell burnt skin. Quickly, he grabbed his mask from the coat he had left on the floor. Standing up, he turned to the young warrior. Escape is the only option, before revealing their identities. On the other hand, what about her? If he leaves her here she will be the only witness to the whole incident. He knew the king wanted the bitch alive, but there must be other beautiful, exotic princesses. To hell with it, he will simply say it was someone else's fault, yes, he will blame someone else. In that second he made a decision, execute the princess, and use the black powder to escape.

Kakarot shouted, "Get away from the princess, _now._ " Yamacha turned slowly to face Kakarot, with his hands raised in the air, however, he hid the blade in his right palm. At the speed of a man fighting for his survival, he plunged the blade into Bulma's heart. But in a panic he missed, and the blade stayed thrust within her ribs. Bulma let out a scream of pain and horror. Darkness finally took control and the long-awaited nothingness took her. She welcomed the sensation, _‘So this is how it ends…’_ was her last thought before she collapsed. Kakarot roared with rage and flew the distance between Yamacha and him as fast as possible. He dug his right fist into his face, causing Yamacha to fly a few feet away and crash into a cold stone wall. In so doing, just offering him a chance he has been waiting for. Yamacha opened the small sack he was holding in his left hand and with a few whispered words, threw it to the floor. Black smoke covered the entire room in just a few seconds. Kakarot coughed and tried to see the shapes in the smoke, but could not spot any of the three men. He knelt on the floor, closed his eyes, and tried to locate the princess with his hands. _'Please ... Please be there.'_ his prayers were answered quickly, he felt Bulma's body and gently took her in his arms. Still cautious about the whereabouts of the intruders, Kakarot ran out of the hall.

The air outside was clear. Kakarot finally took a deep breath, his eyes burning from the smoke, making it hard to determine the severity of Bulma’s injuries. Luckily it seemed the blade he dug into her ribs was short and did not do as much damage as he originally thought. He did not want to think about her injuries anymore, the very thought of the sight he saw made the blood in his veins boil. Without further delay, Kakarot ran as fast as his feet carried him in the direction of their ship. Both girls had serious injuries and needed urgent medical attention, and Poseidon’s palace had no person awake at the moment, nor was it certain those men were gone. They may still be planning to attack. He followed his instincts and memories of the path leading to the docks. Fortunately, he soon passed by the royal portrait.

A few moments later, Kakarot ran to the security of their ship. "Raditz !!" he roared. Raditz appeared in front of him the next second and inhaled in shock. "Oh, fuck Kakarot, is she alive?" he made no motion to check for himself, feeling somewhat scared to even touch this fragile, broken body. "Yes, but she needs medical help. Start the engines, we're leaving now."  
Without a word, Raditz ran to the control panel and hit a few controls with inhuman speed. A loud mechanical sound signaled the door closing. It was ten o'clock at night, and in exactly two hours they would arrive home. Raditz only hoped that upon their arrival he would not have to inform the prince that the dead princess was traveling with them.

  
The engines roared in a familiar and comforting sound, their ship headed home at the speed of light.


	4. So this is how it is

Vegeta was furious. His evening training was interrupted by unsettling news. Poseidon was attacked, according to Raditz and Kakarot, by no other than Ares. From the brief information he was provided, the whole castle was drugged and put to sleep, while an unknown number of intruders assaulted the princess and one of her ladies in waiting. While Vegeta could care less for the women that were apparently injured, he very much did care about the insolence of such actions. How dare he try and take something that was rightfully his. And by this Vegeta was not referring to Bulma, but rather to the deal they had with her father. That bastard must have somehow found out about the transaction between their planets. This arrangement was supposed to bring leverage to both Poseidon and Hephaestus and was the only reason Vegeta even agreed to this madness.

The truth is, he was very sceptical about the benefits of this type of settlement. To allow a foreigner to assume such an important position in the royal line was not common among their people. In fact, as far as Vegeta knew, it has never been allowed before. But now, with this, Kuragari has proven to consider them a threat. And it was precisely for this reason that Vegeta felt satisfaction for the first time of reaching the agreement with Poseidon. Two years of protecting the princess, in exchange for the latest Poseidon technology that could very well change the balance of power between the ruling planets. Vegeta took angry and determined steps towards the royal port. Several officers, his mother and the royal doctor were already there. The ship piloted by Raditz was due to arrive at any moment, and Vegeta intended to be there when it happened. He wanted to hear first-hand what had happened and what evidence they had. He did not care about the princess, as long as she was alive and their arrangement on stable feet.

Vegeta did not have an opinion about Bulma. He did however feel some vague irritation and revulsion towards the weak princess who needed special protection and shelter. For his people, independence and the ability to take care of oneself was regarded as one of the most desirable traits. Vegeta never wanted a partner who would depend on him, and the only consolation he found was in the decree which allows them to annul the matrimony in two years.

On the way, he met several servants and soldiers, but he did not pay much attention, he nodded briefly to some of them, others he did not even notice. Upon finally arriving at his destination, he bowed respectfully to his mother. Queen Helena answered swiftly, nodding to her son, "I was afraid you would not come." she whispered softly to Vegeta. "That would be extremely rude of a prince whose future bride is arriving injured". Vegeta looked grimly at the door through which they expected Raditz and Kakarot to pass at any moment. "I want to speak to Kakarot and Raditz at once if they have evidence that ..." Queen Helena was the only person in the kingdom who could interrupt the prince in the middle of a sentence without consequences.

"Vegeta, Princess Bulma is hurt. I am aware you are not pleased with this pact, but she is not to blame for any of what happened." Helena scolded her son, knowing he had a tough character but still expecting at least a faint concern. Helena was a woman of a noble heart, and many years of ruling as the queen of the most powerful and brutal nation in the universe did not change that fact. She herself knew how to be firm and unsympathetic, but only when the situation demanded it, which was not the case now.

Vegeta decided not to answer, all he had to say at the moment would only make his mother annoyed, for which he did not have the strength or will to deal with at the time. Thus, he defiantly crossed his arms over his chest and glared stubbornly at the door, trying to hasten the arrival of his soldiers with pure willpower. The Queen knew full well that there was no point in arguing with Vegeta at the moment, he had always been determined and stubborn. Sometimes that was a virtue, and sometimes a flaw. She shook her head in disapproval and joined Vegeta in eyeing the doors, knowing the ship has ported a few minutes ago and it is now a matter of seconds before they arrive. In addition to the two members of a royal family, two generals and their physician were present. Personally, the queen was not happy about it, the poor princess and her lady will be greeted by a pack of foreigners, after everything that happened to them that night! Luckily, her husband, Vegeta III was not present, he was currently engaged on the planet Zeus, handling diplomatic business. Their younger son Tarble joined him, and they did not expect their return before the end of the next day.

Queen Helen straightened her wine-red dress, more out of habit than the nature of the situation. She doubted that the princess would be keen to notice such details in these moments. The large metal doors opened with a loud noise, making Helena flinch a little. Vegeta remained still, his frown deepening.

Raditz was the first to enter. Leaning on him was a young woman with dark black hair and pale skin. Her eyes seemed absent and weary, her right arm covered with improvised bandages. Both Vegeta and Helena were rather uncertain of the status of this woman. From what they have gathered so far, the princess and her lady in waiting were arriving. This woman was however wearing a training suit, even perhaps their battle gear. Possibly she was a guard? Their curiosity was soon pushed away as Kakarot entered the room. His eyes a reflection of seriousness and focus, and in his arms an unconscious body of a princess. Her lifeless body seemed small and fragile. The hair, mixture of sapphire and the blue turquoise sky fell in all its length and beauty. The first impression Vegeta had was not what he had anticipated at all. For a brief moment, which he would certainly deny, he was stunned by the exquisiteness of the being he saw before him. Her appearance was truly not from this planet, and this thought provoked and fascinated him at the same time. He heard Helena gasp loudly, and cover her mouth in shock. Looking once more at the princess it was clear to him why, three fingers of her right hand stood in an unnatural position, obviously broken. Half of her face was covered with dark crumpled blood, and beneath her heart, the suit she wore covered a serious injury. He did not care, he certainly did not. But at that moment he felt fury, a wave of intense anger at anyone who would have acted in this way towards a helpless woman. He hated weakness, but even more, he hated unnecessary gruesome brutality.

Bardock, who used to be a general, and was now a physician were the first to respond. In just a few steps he reached Kakarot and placed his hands on the princess's neck.

"The pulse is weaker but stable. Let me take her to the hospital wing quickly." Although he tried to stay calm, he himself was shaken by this scene, more than he thought possible. What bothered him especially were the fingers, so thin and tender now protruding like broken branches. He just hoped the princess would not regain consciousness before administrating her with pain medication, the agony she would feel after the adrenaline left her body would be horrific.

Vegeta recovered quickly from the initial shock and approached Kakarot without looking at the woman in his arms. "Emergency meeting now." With these brief instructions, Vegeta turned abruptly and left the room. Confused by this reaction, Kakarot looked first at the queen, and then at Bardock.

"It is fine, go." The queen said softly but firmly. Kakarot turned to his father, but for some reason, his hands held Bulma regardless, as if he was afraid to let her go. "Kakarot, we will take over. I think you have to dedicate yourself to the more important work at this moment." Helen finally brought Kakarot out of his state, and gently, like a feather, handed Bulma into Bardock's arms. For another brief moment he stared at the wound under her chest, but in the next, he took hastily after Vegeta. Helen turned to Raditz and Chi-Chi. "Raditz, help the young lady to the hospital wing, I believe her wound should be healed as soon as possible."

“Yes, your highness. We administered her with pain medication, however, our usual doses were too strong.” Raditz looked somewhat confused at Chi-Chi who still hasn’t said a word, seemingly lost in her thoughts. “I think it did something to her, she is not speaking at all.” Bardock nodded in understanding. Their usual dosage of pain medication needs to be altered if given to humans. “I believe you restrained yourself from giving the same medication to the princess?”

“Yes, she seemed well under by the trauma itself.” Indeed, she seemed as she might be out for quite some time. Nevertheless, Raditz did make a small prayer in his mind for the princess to stay unconsciousness during the trip. Honestly, he was not sure if his sanity could handle a screaming woman on top of everything.

Bardock made his way towards the clinic, counting on the rest to follow suit. But two generals present did not move. One of them, a woman with shoulder-length black hair and strong posture addressed the queen.

“Should we send a team to Poseidon?” Although the offer was a sympathetic one, her voice was anything but. Riana could not care less for Poseidon or the princess. Actually, she felt only hate for Bulma and was not too upset with how the situation developed that night. Although there were no promises made or hands shaken, she was supposed to be the next princess of Hephaestus. She fought alongside Vegeta from their much younger age, and just as her feelings were somewhat reciprocated, this mess happened.

Bardock made his way to the clinic, not wanting to spare another moment. He nodded to Raditz, who soon followed with Chi-Chi still clinging to his shoulder. He was more than ready to go anywhere and do anything to get rid of the woman. He had his plate full with all that has happened, and his only wish was to finally catch some sleep.

Queen Helena gazed coldly at Riana. She very well knew what was happening between this woman and her son, and was not particularly happy with this. Riana was an admirable soldier, firm, solid and reliable. However, something about her bothered Helena. She could not quite place it, perhaps it was her seemingly cold heart, or perhaps it was the fact no woman would ever be good enough for Vegeta in her mind. Either way, this was one of the reasons Helena was somewhat happy with the arranged marriage. Perhaps this time allows Vegeta to reconsider his options.

“Yes, take five of our available man and a doctor. Leave immediately for Poseidon and report as soon as possible.” Queen directed orders without hesitation. Although she was a woman, on Hephaestus that did not mean she was not fit to lead. King might be the one making the final decisions, but not before taking her opinion into account.

Riana nodded reluctantly. She did not want to leave, not at this moment. No matter what, she was not blind. She saw Bulma with her own eyes, and the awful truth was that even in this state she was painfully beautiful. It would be impossible for this kind of weak and alien princess to make an impression with the prince, however, he was a man, and the princess of Poseidon was a beautiful woman. She turned to her father, a longstanding general, silently asking for his lead. After all, he was senior by age and rank, making him in charge of giving further orders.

Zune nodded and bowed to the queen, followed by his daughter. “Your majesty, we shall organise a team right away and report as soon as possible.”

Queen nodded briefly and without further words decided to follow after Bardock and princess. She was not fond of Riana or her father, and in fact, their presence made her feel uncomfortable down in her gut. And her gut was never wrong.

* * *

Kakarot followed Vegeta to his chambers, where they would have the most privacy. It seemed as if Vegeta did not want to share information with others at this point in time. Kakarot could not help but agree with this. The walls in this palace had ears, and perhaps not everyone should know what happened earlier this evening.

He closed the doors behind him and stood next to the fireplace, Vegeta standing by the balcony doors, his back turned to Kakarot. Prince’s chambers were tastefully decorated with dark brown and black colour dominating through the whole space. It was a spacious and dark, but actually comfortable room, and while not many people were allowed to enter, Kakarot and Vegeta would sometimes have private conversations while excluding others generals and soldiers. To Vegeta, Kakarot was more than a solider, although he would never admit it, he regarded him almost as a friend. If he was certain in one thing in his life, it was Kakarot’s loyalty.

“Now, I am listening. Did you identify the intruders?” Vegeta cut to the chase and asked the most pressing question. Knowing it was Ares, and being able to prove it was Ares were two different matters.

Kakarot scratched the back of his head and sighed. “I am sorry; I never saw their faces. They were hiding behind the masks.” He truly wished he could offer more information, but that man managed to cover his face before turning to face him. Suddenly, Kakarot’s eyes widened in surprise. He did not see him, but the princess!

“I didn’t see them, but the princess did! When I found them they were in the training grounds and…” he stopped suddenly, feeling his excitement quickly replaced with anger. The image of those men, holding the poor woman down made him livid with rage all over again. “Vegeta…what happened last night I am sure of it. It was Kuragari. They…I don’t know the whole story, but when I found them the three of them were holding down the princess. And one of those men, a man she must have seen, was breaking her fingers one by one. It seemed as…as he wanted her to scream in pain. I should have killed him in one move, but I knew you would want him captured alive.”

Vegeta was himself taken back with the information Kakarot just told him. So, his intuition was right, she was not completely injured in self-defence, but rather as a consequence of someone’s demented mind. And if anything, this confirmed his initial conclusions.

If she could identify the man and associate him with the king of Ares, he would finally have a viable reason to start a war and finally overthrow that monster. But for this, he needed to act fast. “Let me know as soon as she is awake, she is a valuable witness.” His voice was low and emotionless, but he could not fool Kakarot. He knew him for far longer and could notice Vegeta was more than just upset with what has happened. While he did not know or care for the princess, he meant her no such harm. Kakarot nodded tiredly, his whole body eager for a long-overdue rest, and he hoped Bulma would wake up sooner rather than later.

* * *

Bulma slowly opened her eyes. For a few seconds she was completely disoriented, her mind numb and sleepy. Bright lights burned her eyes, and it was difficult to see anything. Soon the pain kicked in along with scrambled memories of what happened. Her whole body agonised in throbbing pain, and she could not pinpoint the exact source. She tried to get up but only was able to lift her head.

Unfamiliar face leaned over her, frightening her even more. Bulma frantically tried to get up and protect herself from the figure above her. Yamacha, he succeeded, and now what follows will be worse than anything she has experienced so far. Firm hands gripped her shoulders, an unfamiliar but kind voice addressed her, "Princess Bulma, you are now in safe hands, the painkillers will start to work at any moment." Although Bardock's words were encouraging and gentle, Bulma's mind could not process this information, all she saw was an unfamiliar face and felt a foreign grip on her body. She began to breathe rapidly, but the oxygen seemed to refuse to reach her lungs. Soon panic gripped her body and she tried with all her might to break free from the grip of the unknown man. "Let me… go...", like a fish on dry land, she could not breathe anymore. Panic and fear blended with the pain, and her body turned against herself.

Soon the unknown face was replaced by another. The face of a beautiful woman looked down on her, and the rough grip was replaced by a gentle touch. "It is all right, princess, you are safe now. I am Queen Helena of Hephaestus and you are in safe hands now." Although Bulma could not accurately connect the meaning of all the words, their soft tone and tenderness had a positive influence on her body and mind. The pain was still present, but her lungs finally got the air it craved. Bulma stopped trying to escape, laid her head back on the pillow, and tried to concentrate on the face above her.

"That is right, that is great Bulma. I hope I can call you that. Now it would be best for you to sleep and let us take care of your injuries." Injuries? How did she get those injuries? Images of an owl and a wolf surfaced at the top of her mind and the third, worst of them threatened to appear. But before that could happen, Bulma felt the darkness overwhelm her once more, and she gladly surrendered to it, like surrendering to a sea current leading to safety.

Helena looked at Bardock and nodded briefly. Smile of understanding and support was replaced by seriousness and concern. "Bardock, how long will she sleep?"

Bardock was relieved, not being used to patients who needed emotional support, the whole experience was unnatural to him. "Surely, she will be asleep for a few days, by then I will take care of most of the injuries. Although they look serious, they do not pose a serious threat."

“Good.” Helena turned to Chi-Chi who was sitting on the bed and staring at the whole scene with a still somewhat lost expression, she opened her mouth and finally spoke for the first time since she fainted in Kakarot’s arms. "What ... what did they ... give me?" Although she was starting to feel more like herself, her thoughts were still scattered and hard to form into words.

Bardock approached Chi-Chi, who was sitting on the other of two hospital beds in the royal hospital wing. A place where only the highest officials and the royal family were treated. Each room contained no more than two beds for privacy. "What is your name, can you tell me your name?" Bardock slowly emphasised on every word trying to get an answer from Chi-Chi. The fools gave her a horse dose of the drug and she was lucky to recover so quickly, for some patients it could even mean permanent neurological damage. But since she was already slowly coming back to her senses Bardock concluded she will recover completely. Chi-Chi looked at him with curiosity, the man in front of her was like an older copy of a young soldier she had met on Poseidon. But her mind was not yet ready to make such connections between the obvious facts. "Chi-Chi. I am a princess lady in waiting." So many questions were on her mind, but the most important one was regarding her friend in the bed across her.

"How is the princess?" She looked at Bulma, who was lying in a large bed, covered to the chin with a heavy blanket. An infusion tube protruded from under the blanket.

"Princess Bulma will be fine. Now is the time to rest. I won't give you any more medicine, we want your mind cleared as soon as possible. There will be time for questions later." Chi-Chi, otherwise the person who would have demanded the truth and the facts immediately had no strength or choice but to obey. She slowly sank down on the bed and felt sleep overtake her. She closed her eyes and was asleep in the next moment.

Bardock looked at Helen, and smiled wearily, "Both will be fine, I think you should go and rest too. I have a feeling the next few days will be chaotic."

Helena sighed tiredly, Bardock was right. But another question remained unanswered, and Helena felt a little uncomfortable to be the one asking it. However, no matter what, the Queen always had to look towards the future and think about the well-being of her people. "Bardock, given her condition, when can we plan a wedding?" Bardock was a little surprised by this question so early. But then again, he knew the queen was not heartless, she just asked a question he would have to answer tomorrow nonetheless. “I believe we can expect a recovery in a week. Definitely not complete, but sufficient." He felt somehow sad for the princess, he himself had divided thoughts about the whole arrangement, but all this seemed... unworthy of a royal marriage. Quickly, quietly, by force. On the other hand, he knew that while Helena shared some of his feelings, neither one of them could change the inevitable future.

"Thank you, Bardock. Let me know if there is a change overnight." With that, the queen nodded briefly to their royal doctor, stroked Bulma's hair with her hand, and went on her way. Ahead of her was a sleepless night, the demons of the past and the uncertainty of the future oppressed her heart. The only thing that could offer consolation at this point was planning the wedding that would take place soon. Despite all the circumstances, Helena was determined to organize an elegant and appealing wedding. Before closing to doors, she gave the last instructions to Bardock. “Appoint two guards to these chambers.”

* * *

Bulma dreamt of floating, but not in the air. In the depths of the ocean, where peace and quiet reigned, she was carried by the currents. Ocean caressed every part of her body, a sensation that evoked a sense of joy and security. She opened her eyes and looked toward the surface of the water. She was so far away. She reached for the light on the surface and noticed the bandages on her palm. Bringing the palm closer she studied it with curiosity, her mind surprised for a moment by this phenomenon. Suddenly, an unfamiliar hand grabbed her shoulder and Bulma looked in shock at the intruder in her dream. Yamacha. He grinned viciously at her, "I promised you would scream, didn't I?" At that moment Bulma's dream turned into a nightmare and she clearly remembered every detail of that fateful night. Chi-Chi's bloody hand, running, him punching her in the head and licking her palm, laughing, breaking her fingers. Suddenly she realized she could not breathe underwater, she panicked, trying to swim towards the surface, but Yamacha wouldn't let her go. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Bulma budged and opened her eyes, this time in reality.

She struggled for breath, beads of sweat dripping from her forehead. The pain was no longer present, but the memories were. They hit her like a mallet, and she suddenly sat up in their bed, which made her dizzy. Clutching her head, she tried to look at her surroundings for the first time. Across from her sitting in a bed was Chi-Chi and on each side of her bed stood a man. Both wore full official armour, one slightly simpler in black with silver-black plates, the other black but with gold-plates. The man with silver plates was already familiar to her, his rather unusually styled hair stuck out in multiple directions. He was tall and of strong musculature. However, she had never seen the man before. He was slightly shorter than the other, his hair sticking out in the air, like black flames, his armour was black and gold, probably indicating a higher rank. His eyes seemed stern and cold, and the first impression Bulma had of this unknown man was that he was incredibly striking and intimidating at the same time.

Chi-Chi’s face lit up with a sincere smile. "Bulma!" she shouted cheerfully, earning two glances from the men in the room. Yes, they would probably expect her to address Bulma by title, not by name. "Princess Bulma." She corrected herself quickly, "You are awake, that is wonderful!" Bulma wiped the sweat from her forehead with her left hand and looked at her right hand with slight surprise. It was still wrapped with bandages, but there was no pain.

"What happened?" she asked the question to no one in particular.

Kakarot was the first to reply "Your Highness, Poseidon was attacked, and you ..." Bulma waved her hand and straightened up "I remember everything, I meant how we got here? I recognize your armour now, and I know we are on Hephaestus. "

Vegeta was astounded. While he had no special expectations, she surprised him nonetheless. He somewhat expected that as soon as she woke up, the frail princess would be disoriented and desperate, making Bardock's intervention more than necessary. But the woman in front of them was calm and composed, and if she was in pain she did not show it.

Kakarot decided to answer that question as well, and with a smile on his face explained the events of that evening. After he was finished, Bulma nodded with understanding. "My parents?"

"No one was hurt, and the intruders disappeared before our reinforcements arrived. Your parents have been informed of everything and are waiting for you to contact them at the first opportunity. Oh, yes, I am Kakarot, Prince Vegeta's first officer, I am honoured to meet you. I wish the circumstances were different." Kakarot placed his right arm over his chest and bowed respectfully.

Bulma smiled weakly and nodded, "Thank you for everything. It is my pleasure."

She turned to the other man and, a little annoyed by his dark and quiet presence, insisted, "And who are you?" Although the man with the black flames was fine-looking, she was bothered by his gaze. Intrusive and judgmental.

"I am Prince Vegeta," he said coldly, his gaze relentless and harsh, and his body still with no intention to bow or show curtesy. Bulma opened her mouth in shock, trying to place the image of the man in front of her in her image of her future husband. Her cheeks flushed slightly, above all from the embarrassment, but soon from anger. After everything she went through and everything that happened, he dares to talk to her that way. He was a prince, yes. But she was also of royal blood, she deserved more respect! That was not the way a prince introduces himself to a princess, where are the courtesies? It is my honour? A bow? A hand kiss? Everything Bulma had read in the literature on princes, whether historical or fictional, was nowhere near this insolence.

Anger ran through her veins, and Bulma decided to speak her mind bluntly. "I am Princess Bulma, the sole heir to the throne at Poseidon, and I demand more respect when addressed by someone of your position. You may not be taught manners around here, but I would appreciate the effort."

There was a silence in the room. The tension was palpable. Vegeta's eyes widened in shock. How dare she? How dare she address him like that and humiliate him in front of others? Chi-Chi covered her mouth in shock, and Kakarot covered his mouth to hide a grin, feigning a cough.

Vegeta crossed the distance between them in a few steps and loomed over Bulma. Their faces were only inches apart, they were so close he could smell the faint scent of lilies, and the princess's eyes threatened to drown him in the blue depths of their determination and defiance. But he could not be hindered by any of it.

"I will address you as I wish. Do not forget your place, you may be a spoiled princess at Poseidon, but you are nothing more than a good deal here."

With that, Vegeta straightened up and addressed Kakarot,

"If you find out anything important, let me know." He stepped out of the room and paused, remembering an important piece of information he wanted to share with the princess. Without turning around, he added nonchalantly. "The wedding is in two days. Until then you will have your own chambers." With a loud thud, he closed the door behind him.

Bulma blinked a few times in shock. Two days? …So this is how it is… In two days that man will be her husband.

She looked at Chi-Chi, who seemed upset by the whole event unfolding before them. She addressed Kakarot angrily, "The prince has no right to address the princess like that! Hey, why are you smiling ???" She whacked Kakarot’s upper arm half-seriously.

"Vegeta may be stiff and ruthless at times, but he is not a bad person. He is just and true ... beneath that rigid facade." The truth is, he himself was a little surprised by this conversation they just witnessed. Vegeta seemed to have been misled, expecting a frail and frightened princess. Bulma was as brave as a lioness, and for that, he appreciated her even though he did not know her well.

"Now, your highness, I would ask you to tell me in detail what you remember from that evening. And then I will leave you alone, I believe you have a lot of important topics to talk about." He nodded at Chi-Chi who seemed to have let go of her anger. In the last few days, Kakarot has spent a lot of time in this room, waiting for Bulma to wake up and during that time he has developed a sort of friendship with Bulma’s court lady. Being so amusing and charming, he even cherished spending time with her.

“I agree, let us get over it.” Bulma could hardly wait to put the whole event behind her and start concentrating on what awaited her. She also needed time to process what just happened between her and the prince, the audacity!

The prince was like her worst nightmare, and yet, the thought of him made her heart beat a _little_ faster.


	5. "I do."

She really wanted to reflect on everything that has happened in the not so recent past. She was violently attacked by a demented man, beaten, betrayed, insulted and taken away from her home…hurt. Yes, perhaps if you overlook a dozen different emotions brewing under the calm surface of a young bride to be, you would discover one that dominated. She was hurt, and while her body might have healed almost completely, her mind, her spirit, her heart, were hurt. For the for first time in her life, she was in this unexpected situation. The balance of her status shaken to the core, humiliation looming over her shoulders. It has been mere hours since she has woken up in that hospital bed, and it was impossible to arrange her thoughts and emotions.

It seemed as she was stuck in a downward spiral of events, where farewell turned to goodbye, and where the feeling of safety was replaced with anything but. What she needed, and lacked, was time. She needed to process everything that has happened, take a deep breath and convince herself to stay strong, to plan a future that might still exist. But Bulma was nowhere near this state of mind, the future was not on the list of things she wished to ponder. She couldn’t drift away anymore, her little reveries, a safe gateway from the reality were taken away as well. After she left her hospital bed, which was on the same morning she met her not so charming prince, Bulma finally fulfilled her destiny, written in the stars, and became a human living doll. Though, in which genre, was somewhat unclear.

That morning’s conversation with Chi-Chi was cut short, they were soon separated, as she had wedding-related duties to take care of. Bulma had no active role in the process since she was the duty others had to take care of. Once again she was a passive onlooker. Minutes after she entered her luxurious but very bland chambers, all in ironically white and beige colours, dozens of servants busted in, carrying dresses, materials, perfumes, make-up and more things Bulma could care less about. If you imagined she was given all those shiny things to choose for herself, you were very much wrong. The servants did not even try to engage with Bulma. Usually, she would prefer to take care of these things herself, just a small fraction of a free choice, and she did not expect it to be taken away so soon. They took care of her hospital clothes and bathed her despite her weak arguments that she is very much capable of doing it by herself. Back at home, she loathed this ritual so much, that she terminated it completely. But, as Vegeta has explained in his own charming way, she is not home anymore. Old Bulma would mandate for things to go her way. But this one seemed like an old shell of that not so old version of the young princess. It was temporary. Bulma knew it but still could not make an effort to engage in anything. She was tired, her mind was so overwhelmed with all the recent events and her new surroundings, that she felt just beaten. So, she let them do the fuck they want. Books she read and re-read several times did not exactly teach about the latest fashion on other planets. Oddly, now she wished they did since this whole make-over session started to shift in a rather unexpected direction.

Her hair was washed three times, perfumed, even more, she had to try on dozen of dresses before finally finding one that fit her more or less. Apparently, there was no time to wait for her belongings to arrive, and certainly, no time to sew a new dress. What Vegeta failed to inform her about, was the engagement event that was happening that same evening. They were to be introduced as the happy couple to the highest generals and officials of Hephaestus. Of course, the king and younger prince will be there. No pressure whatsoever.

Although she was exhausted, resigned, and hurt, she still could not bring herself to stop caring completely about the events in the near future. So, while she was not panicking about the engagement dinner, she did feel like a heavy burden was set on her shoulder. The dread of what will for sure happen, poor little princess, basically thrown to the pack of wolfs. And it somehow seemed that the very women assigned to get her appropriate for her first appearance were doing everything but helping her.

She was pristine clean and her hair was thoroughly washed. And that is where the merit of being taken care of by these women came to an abrupt end. The perfume used was too intense and applied in an overly considerable quantity. Instead of a delicate velvety scent, Bulma smelled so intensely that she was suffocating herself. The hair, also bathed in perfume, was styled in the latest fashion - or the most ornate fashion in Bulma’s opinion. With the help of the little curlers, her long silky hair became a bush of small curls, which looked anything but appealing. The dresses brought for her were neither close to her size or taste. The style was very old-fashioned by her standards, each had long sleeves, and in no way complimented her body. A floral pattern, shade of green closest to sewer water or neutral brown velvet would not suit anyone, not even Bulma. Considering that she did not yet know the customs of Hephaestus, she assumed that this was the style usually worn by others and until she got her wardrobe she had no choice but to consent.

The winner of this tasteless parade, in which she had no say, was a brown velvet dress that completely hid Bulma’s body with a size too large. The edges were “decorated” with lace, and Bulma was not sure if she wanted to cry or laugh. However, the maids took care of that as well, quickly moving on to the last step of her makeover - makeup. The powder they applied was surprisingly the right shade, and it fit her complexion perfectly. But, for some strange reason, it did not please them. They insisted she needed at least one darker shade. Right about then, she started to suspect that this whole event was not about aligning her appearance with the latest trends, but rather the first sabotage of the princess.

What further confirmed this, was the powder being quickly compensated by too dark and excessively applied blush, pink lipstick and dark brown eyeshadow on the eyelids. At this point, Bulma was speechless, curiously anticipating the final result of this ordeal. As it turned out, the latter must have been an attempt to complement the dress she was wearing. However, by then she had concluded with certainty that the dress, like herself, was a lost cause.

Standing in front of the mirror, in state of shock, she looked at a person who only resembled her. It was hard to decide if she should cry of laughter or despair. The tragicomedy would be perhaps the most accurate description of what has been going on in her chambers for the last few hours. One marvellous piece with her in the lead role. Like a salve to a wound, like an oasis in the middle of the desert, Chi-Chi walked into her chambers with a smile on her face, obviously in good spirits. She widened her eyes, recognizing the figure in front of her, and covered her mouth with her hand, if it were not for her recognizable hair, Chi-Chi wouldn't be sure who was standing in front of her.

"Oh, princess Bulma, you are .... absolutely spectacular."

The choice of words was not easy in this situation, but Chi-Chi knew immediately what this was all about. She had an interesting afternoon and this development did not surprise her at all. Moreover, it was for this reason that she knew she had to act wisely and tactfully. Time was of the essence.

"Dear ladies, this is truly something special. Congratulations on a job well done. However, if your work here is done, I would kindly ask you to give us some privacy." Chi-Chi smiled sweetly at the ladies in the room, and at the same time moved to the side, showing them to the doors.

Ten girls, all dressed in identical crimson red dresses, reluctantly bowed to the princess and left the chambers in complete silence. After the door closed behind them, Chi-Chi burst out laughing. Soon after the first burst of laughter, tears flowed and she had to hold on to the sofa nearby, to keep her from falling to the floor. Bulma looked in the mirror once more and decided that it was certainly better to laugh than to cry in despair. She joined Chi-Chi, starting to laugh herself, pleasantly surprised by the sound. Sound, which she thought was written off from her present, just a few hours ago.

"Chi ... I don't know what happened. Dinner is in two hours, look!" through bursts of laughter she grasped the dress with her hands and bowed solemnly, she tried to run her hands through her hair, but only tore herself in the process, causing an additional burst of roaring laughter from both girls.

Chi-Chi wiped away her tears and moved on to more important topics in a slightly more serious tone. "Bulma, we do not have much time. Take it off and take a bath again. And please, do it thoroughly, I am suffocating on that perfume even from here." She had a lot of work and not so much time.

Bulma did not consider it necessary to question her instructions, knowing that there was absolutely no chance that she would appear anywhere looking like this. This unfortunate, tragicomedy event, in some strange way, restored some of her spirit and strength. She did not know what awaited her, but as long as she had Chi-Chi with her, and as long as they could laugh at such misfortunes together, there was hope. Little hope that everything will be fine, come what may.

Still chuckling, Chi-Chi left Bulma's chambers and went on her way. She spent that afternoon helping prepare for the wedding that was to take place in two days, among the girls she worked with she met her dear acquaintance Manu. Manu was the same girl who wrote that letter she read to Bulma not so long ago, although, now it seemed like a part of some ancient life. Manu was part of the Queen’s tailoring crew, and Chi-Chi knew that if anyone could help save this situation, it would be her. When Manu first recognized her that same day, her cheeks flushed and she avoided eye contact. Probably dreading Chi-Chi would be careless enough to reveal their acquaintance. Assuredly, she knew better. One thing Chi-Chi knew with certainty was, that no matter which planet or galaxy, all courts were somewhat the same. One of the rules instructed was never to reveal your secret connections in the open. Especially not among dozens of other women. Every woman of higher status in the palace had her own loyal ladies in waiting and servants, or so-called whisperers. Until you grasped the politics of these complicated relations it is not safe to openly engage in conversation. So, Chi-Chi politely ignored Manu, until the right opportunity showed itself. Mere minutes of privacy was still enough for Chi-Chi to gather valuable intel. Firstly, Manu was just recently promoted into the private queen’s service, admittedly helping her greatly in gathering interesting information. She was able to confirm that indeed there was a woman in Vegeta’s life. It was far from official, but it was known enough that it bothered the queen. Her name was Riana, and the queen was not overly fond of her. Another valuable piece of information was that Riana’s mother volunteered her servants to help Bulma in today’s preparations. Knowing this, Chi-Chi was not expecting much, however, what they did was far away from her wildest imagination.

Chi-Chi was in luck, she ran into Manu not far away from Bulma’s chambers and subtly signalled her to follow. She briefly described the problem, easily convincing Manu to help them salvage this catastrophe. Right now, she might not be able to provide Bulma with the support she needs, might not have the time to console her, but she was determined to arrange for Bulma to be presented today as she deserves.

* * *

She stared at her reflection with her mouth slightly open in awe. In merely an hour and a half, Chi-Chi and Manu pulled off a miracle. It seemed as such a long time has passed since the last time an actual effort was made to make her presentable as the royalty she was. Bulma’s hair was soft and silky as it used to be, it was carefully pulled up in a semi-tight bun, with few loose waves framing her face. Her make-up was far from the tacky mess sitting there just a few hours ago. It was simple, yet fitting of the official event to ensue. Her lips were coloured in cheery red, complemented with a faint blush. Her eyes were emphasized with a thin winged line paired with black mascara. All the tones used allowed for her natural beauty to be put in the forefront. The dress was definitely not something she would normally wear at Poseidon. There it would be considered too bold. However, Manu convinced them it was perfectly suitable for someone her rank for this specific event. Both Bulma and Chi-Chi decided Manu was trustworthy and did not question her choice. The dress was in simple black, it was fitted tight from her chest to her hips and it outlined Bulma’s cleavage in a decent manner, revealing enough, but not too much. Unlike A-line gowns usually worn at Poseidon, this dress did not flare out at the waist, rather it started to flare gradually from her mid-hips creating an almost mermaid-like tail. It accentuated her backside without drawing too much attention to it. What strikes Bulma the most was the elegance that was on par with some of her most favoured dresses back home while being unusually light.

Finally, Manu fished through her dress pockets, straining to reach a small black box. “Ah, almost forgot the final touch!” She opened the box, revealing a pair of most stunning earrings Bulma has ever seen. Manu helped her put them in place, finishing her look for tonight. It was a wondrous pair of streaming dangle earrings that elegantly flew from her earlobe with interwoven threads of glistening pave diamonds gracefully passed over and under intermittent white gold tendrils to form a magical cascading mesh.

All three women gasped at the final product. Bulma was absolutely stunning. After the first wave of awe passed, it occurred to Bulma this countermeasure to Riana’s mother might cause trouble.

“Manu, I cannot express my gratefulness, you are truly a saviour and I am in your debt…however, would this ‘last-minute changes’ cause plights for you? These earrings and dress must belong to someone of high rank. And I would hate to cause you trouble.”

Manu smirked knowingly, “This dress was not accidentally perfectly fitting. Queen had it sawn for you a day after you arrived. And the party that dressed you today was supposed to deliver this dress along with the earrings handpicked by her majesty, and not…that” she pointed at the plain brown dress, long forgotten on the floor. “It seemed as someone has misplaced the one designed for you in the scraps basket. By accident, of course.”

Bulma and Chi-chi exchanged quick glances, as Bulma nodded and slightly bowed to Manu. “I am eternally grateful you were able to correct this unintentional mistake.”

Manu smiled softly at Bulma, “My pleasure. I must tend to other business; I wish you all best of luck.” She bowed respectfully and turned to leave. Before she did, one last bit of information came to her mind, “Oh, I suspect you are not informed, but you are to wait for prince Vegeta to escort you soon. But first, it is a costume to ask for your hand in privacy so he can give you the ring.”

Bulma blinked few times, feeling uneasiness and excitement rush through her. So, for the first time, she was to have a private moment with the cold-hearted and rude prince. It was perhaps for the best that there was not much time to ponder this. Finally, being alone, Bulma took Chi-Chi’s hand feeling slight panic overtaking her. “Chi, I do not know what is expected of me tonight. I do not know enough about their costumes. Everything I knew evaporated. And did you hear him this morning, he is an insolent, unsympathetic man? How in the world will I even communicate with him?”

Chi-Chi knew Bulma could snap at any time, recent events were taxing and there was not enough time to process and recover. On the other hand, she knew how incredibly strong and smart she was. She took her other hand in hers and motioned for her to take a deep breath. “You will be fine, follow others and smile politely. If you feel stress overwhelming you, find the threads, water is always served at dinner.” She winked and smiled, giving her a last piece of advice. “As for the prince. Just be yourself, I believe Kakarot was right. There might be more to him under that cold facade. Now, if you would excuse me, I need to get ready as well.” Although, there won’t be many court ladies attending these events, every female royalty and higher class women could have one personal lady to assist if needed.

Bulma nodded and took one more deep breath. She was right, she can do this. As soon as the dinner is officially over she will have some time for herself. This thought consoled her a little. She walked over to the balcony doors glancing at the view. There was not as much nature as at home, but the view was far from unappealing. Her chamber overlooked a small garden with a pond, now hidden under the darkness of night, guarded by stone walls. She turned the knob and let herself out. The night air was a warm consolation on her bare skin, the sweet smell of cherry tree tingling her senses. She turned her back to the balcony rim and leaned on it. She closed her eyes and tried to bring back memories of her home, faint smile playing on her lips, diamond earrings dangled softly, moonlight reflecting their sparkle.

The deep, raspy voice startled her from her daydreaming. “Enjoying yourself?” Before her prince Vegeta was standing in all his might.

* * *

During numerous meetings that same day, every so often, he would ponder that morning's events and the insolence of the Poseidon’s heiress. For some strange reason, he felt provoked by the sole thought of her. It was hard to pinpoint the exact cause of these emotions, closest he could get to the answer was that unexpected attitude and appearance. She was strikingly beautiful and definitely different than the other females he encountered in his life. The romance was never on his list of priorities, but he was a man, and he would notice these things now and then. Moreover, he expected a weak, pathetic woman whose mental recovery from the incident would last for months. Thankfully they are able to proceed with all plans. Right now he simply wanted to wrap this mess up as soon as possible. Because on the other hand there was an additional problem with Riana. While he held no romantic emotions whatsoever, they started to negotiate their union beforehand the agreement with Poseidon. He was well aware that for her it was far more than a political decision, and after so many battles fought side by side, he felt as he owed her to keep the end of his bargain. The news of his marriage with Bulma was not accepted well from his side, but Riana took it way worse. That same evening, she appeared in his chambers, demanding he rejects the offer of Poseidon and makes her his mate.

Naturally, he was in no position to do this, so he rejected her request. In a desperate attempt to change his mind she kissed him. He accepted. Even now he couldn’t quite comprehend why he allowed it. What happened that night was a massive slipup on his part, and this whole mess with women in his life, mostly orchestrated by others, irritated the young prince. Thus, he simply wanted to wrap everything up as soon as possible and leave no loose ends. However, getting there was not as easy as one might think. To annul his union with Poseidon’s princess, they had to conceive a child, that will naturally not possess his fire blessing allowing them to break the ties. He resented how the next two years of his life will be condemned on mechanical efforts to have a child. With the addition of leading a war against Ares and keeping his people safe, the whole notion seemed like a burden. This is where the benefits of the agreement kick in. What was finally given to them in exchange for this marriage to take place, was the latest technology of Poseidon. Healing tanks for their medic department that can counter most of the dark magic inflicted injuries and accelerate the general recovery of the gravely injured man by 50%. In his mind, this would be one of the best trades in their records if it weren’t for that bit where he had to marry the princess.

Ares was constantly on his mind, the schematics behind their war plans were still very much in construction, slowly leading to the conclusion his next move won’t be seen as a response to Kuragari’s action, rather as their own initiation of war. As soon as the wedding was behind him, he planned to completely commit to directing next moves of his planet. And occasionally commit to his matrimonial duties, of course.

He loathed any help with getting ready for official events, hence Vegeta took care of it himself. For this occasion, the official armour was suitable. In simple black, with silver plating covering his chest, the heavy and impressive cape was clipped to his shoulder plates and paired with black gloves. Boots were of the finest leather, reaching to just under his knees. Shortly regarding his reflection, he concluded he was more than ready. As he started to get this show on the road, he remembered one important detail. Heirloom ring was to be gifted to his future bride this evening. Gripping a small black box in his palm, he couldn’t help but wonder how his ancestors felt about arranged marriages. Suddenly he felt revolted by his thoughts, instead of leading his people, and fulfilling his role as the leader of the military forces, he was pondering over a worthless human. His eyes darkened and muscles tightened. With firm determination, he left his chambers to meet Bulma and get this over with.

As he neared her chambers, the growing dissatisfaction with the given situation boiled inside of him. While being aware it was not fair to blame all on the woman, at the same time he couldn’t help but hold her presence responsible for all of the inconveniences. He knocked lightly on the door, but there was no answer. Impatiently he knocked once more, louder this time. Still, having no answer, he growled in anger, and let himself in. The guest chambers were seemingly empty, Bulma was nowhere to be seen. Closing the doors behind him it seemed logical to wait here, hopefully, somebody instructed her to not attend dinner without his company.

The night was fairly warm, as their short but intense summer was approaching. He walked over to the balcony hoping to catch some fresh air before the dinner. And there she was. Vegeta stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening in surprise. Before he was princess Bulma in all her glamour. She was wearing a tightly fitted dress, revealing the curves of her body. Her lips were red as cherries, few loose curls dancing on the night’s breeze. All of his anger seemed to leave his body in that one instant, replaced with awe. Her eyes were closed, and for the first time, he saw a soft smile gracing her features. He already regarded her as attractive, but this woman before him was absolutely breathtaking. Disliking the feeling of being so warped with a woman, Vegeta snapped out of his thoughts and regained control over his emotions.

“Enjoying yourself?”

Bulma jolted in surprise, and almost lost her balance. Swiftly she recovered from the shock and took a quick but thorough glance at the prince. That morning she was still somewhat drowsy from her recovery and didn’t really get a chance to examine her future husband. The hair, a black abundant of flames were paired with ebony eyes who were cold, serious and threatening. His features were extremely handsome. His muscular body was more than evident in the tightly fitted armour. He gave her the impression of an alpha leader, which he ultimately was, according to others. Her hand flew to her chests, suddenly feeling overexposed under his intruding gaze.

“I…I was waiting and…” her choice of words was quite poor, which irritated usually eloquent and witty princes. What was this effect he had on her? Was she intimidated by him? Or was it something else?

He stepped outside and joined her on the balcony. She noticed a small black box in his hands. Without any words, he opened it and revealed a beautiful and simple diamond ring. There was a moment of silence as no one moved an inch. Bulma didn’t know much, but she knew how some proposals usually took place. Was there not a speech, a question?

She looked at him quizzically, waiting for the proposal itself to happen.

“You should wear this ring tonight; it is a tradition.” His expression was unreadable, making her uneasy.

She chuckled nervously, trying to not be too much disappointed with his attitude. What was she expecting? This was just a deal, a pact, a political event. Yet, disappointment burned her and she couldn’t hide it in time.

“If you are expecting me to kneel, you are very much delusional.”

She swallowed hard, not grasping why did it offend her so much. Chi-Chi and Manu tried so hard to make her beautiful tonight, and perhaps she was expecting him to be smitten? She really needed some time to rearrange her thoughts, since this is getting out of hand. She tiredly concluded that by now she should have gotten accustomed to her status here.

‘Just be yourself’ Chi-Chi’s words struck her, and helped her to regain her usual composure.

“Kneeling would be too much, I am aware.” She crossed her arms under her chest and looked innocently at Vegeta. “However, I was expecting at least a question, it is only polite. And before you lecture me on my position here, have in mind we are absolutely on the same page.”

Vegeta was once again taken back by her direct manner of communication. It was not usual for women outside his planet. He was used to sweet words and false pretences or fear and silence, not this fierce honesty. He smirked at Bulma, making her knees buckle just a little.

“Princess, will you accept this ring as a symbol of our pact?” Without waiting for an answer, he took Bulma’s hand in his. Her hand was light and gentle. He slipped the ring on her finger and discovered it was a perfect fit. Letting go of her hand they found themselves staring at each other in uncomfortable silence. Finally, Bulma spoke.

“I do.” Her eyes never leaving his, engaging in a little contest of will power. Vegeta offered his hand still not leaving her eyes.

“Shall we?” She took his hand and they made their way to the engagement dinner. Just as they were passing through the halls, Bulma suddenly remembered that she indeed had to discuss a few things with Vegeta. Felling confident she squeezed his forearm and pulled them to stop. Vegeta obliged and looked at Bulma curiously, raising one eyebrow. Being so close, she felt as she might drown in his overbearing presence, his posture radiated confidence different than anything she saw before. His scent was so pleasant, masculine and provoking it made Bulma feel a little dazed from its influence. She swallowed hard, trying to collect her thoughts. Prince Vegeta was with all his insolence and disrespect still managing to make quite an impression on her. And she did not like it.

“I have some inquiries I would like to discuss prior to our…union.” She was aware of the fact that a given moment might not be the best for opening delicate topics, but she was irritated by the feeling that the whole court, from the very prince to the average maid, knew more about her future than she did. She had not yet found time to contact her parents but had a feeling that she would get more accurate and concise information from the prince who did not care so much about sparing her feelings. If she is already getting into all of this, she wants to know exactly what awaits her.

"First, I would like to know if it is true ..." Vegeta interrupted abruptly, in an unwavering tone. "Now is not the time to chat. Later."

The rude interruption did not make her as annoyed as she would have expected. It seemed she has adapted relatively quickly to this new dynamic of communication. She sighed and shook her head. "Later it is."

She could not explain it exactly, but she knew that Vegeta's later, was not just an empty promise.

The corridors were full of guards who stood motionless, like wax figures, holding their positions. As they passed them, their heads bowed respectfully to the prince and his future wife. Soon, they found themselves in front of a massive, tall double-leafed wooden door. Vegeta stopped in front of the door and nodded to the guards on each side. Two figures dressed in dark guard uniforms, held in their hands a large spear with a sharp tip. They pounded loudly on the floor, with the blunt end of the handle three times, after which they opened the door and let them in.

In front of them was an incredibly imposing hall. Long horizontal set tables stretched through the entire length of the hall. Bulma could not estimate exactly, but there were approximately fifty people standing at each table. Women and men were equally represented in the crowd, some dressed in military uniforms, formal uniforms and impressive dresses. At the end of the room, on a raised wooden platform, the royal table stretched horizontally, with the King and Queen occupying the centre. On the King's side, the younger Prince Tarble smiled curiously, and on the Queen's side, two empty seats were reserved for soon to be newlyweds. Although Bulma did not know much about the decor and customs of their planet, she quickly realized that her expectations were not accurate. She imagined a multitude of savages, who would tear pieces of meat with their hands, a barbaric people without tact or taste. But the room and the people in front of her were anything but.

The high ceilings were painted with colourful murals of historical battles and previous rulers, the windows decorated with frescoes. Large candlesticks descended from the ceilings, giving a gentle warm light to the entire room. Suddenly, Bulma felt great pressure, more than 200 members of the fire race looked at her with open curiosity. She felt the heat in her cheeks and the fast heartbeat pounding in her chest. At the moment she wished she knew more about their customs. She swallowed hard, suddenly realizing that her mouth was completely dry. Vegeta took her to their places without any haste, giving everyone a chance to study them well, that is, to study her well. Bulma, with years and years of being instructed on how to behave in such official situations, allowed for the well-woven knowledge to guide her body. She stood straight and proud. Her gait was calm and confident, she focused on a point on the wall behind the royal table and stared at it intently. The time for studying others will come later, now she just had to keep her concentration on…well not tripping and falling to start with.

It seemed like an eternity, but in reality, just a minute after they entered the hall, they found themselves in front of a table, in front of the king and queen. Both Bulma and Vegeta bowed respectfully, and the king and queen nodded to the young couple. Now it was the king's and queen's turn to rise. Bulma was quite confused with the sequence of events and their customs and was grateful for Vegeta's leadership, who turned them to face the guests in the hall. The king looked like an older version of Prince Vegeta, with the addition of a beard that made him even more intimidating and stern. In a deep, firm voice, he addressed everyone present.

"Today we celebrate the merging of the two kingdoms. Poseidon and the Hephaestus are now partners and friends. Long live Prince Vegeta and Princess Bulma!" Judging by the tone of his voice, Bulma was not quite convinced their kingdoms were friends, but she was grateful the speech was short. King Vegeta lifted his glass into the air, and the others followed suit. Two maids, each on one side, approached the young couple and handed them glasses filled with a dark red liquid. Bulma mentally prepared herself for whatever was in that glass. ‘Do not make faces, just drink it.’ Fortunately for her, it was red wine, strong, full of flavour and a bit robust. Bulma did not drink alcohol often, and she hoped that her body would tolerate such a strong drink without visible signs of intoxication. The whole hall toasted the prince and princess, followed by loud applause. Bulma was a little surprised by this reaction, according to everything she knew so far, Vegeta’s people were not happy with the merging of the two kingdoms. Vegeta led her to their seats, Bulma sat down next to the queen, with Vegeta right next to her.

She smiled faintly, her gaze searching for Chi-Chi. She spotted her at a table right in front of theirs, looking at Bulma with pride and approval. Good, so she did not make a fool of herself. Bulma nodded to her and took another sip of wine.

"If I were you, I would be careful with this wine, our vineyards produce lovely fruits, and our wines are truly special, but also quite strong." Queen Helena smiled slightly at Bulma, finally having a chance to meet the princess in a vigilant and clearheaded state.

Bulma put her glass back on the table, she certainly would not like to get plastered and embarrass herself at the first opportunity. "Your Highness, I am truly honoured. Thank you for your help, I am sorry if I caused you or Dr Bardock any trouble." Only through the fog did she remember the queen's features when she awoke a few days before in the hospital bed, beside herself from the pain. She was not ready to open that box yet, in which she carefully stored and sealed everything that had happened to her and ... him. Invoking the very name of that monster was met with resistance, she was not yet ready to face the trauma that had happened to her. Anyway, now she had other responsibilities and it was absolutely normal to leave that for later. Helena waved her hand away,

"My dear, please call me by the first name. I hope I can call you Bulma, as well. What you have been through must have been terrible." Bulma's face grimaced in pain, at the very mention of those events, which did not escape Helen, "If you wish to talk about it, feel free to confide with me. And now, dinner is just about to be served." Bulma was more than grateful to steer away from the topic, as dozens of servants entered the hall carrying trays of various nourishments, the smell of meat and spices filled her nostrils and she realized that she had actually eaten almost nothing that day. "Helena, it would be an honour for you to address me by my first name, I am grateful for your warm welcome."

The food soon flooded the entire table, and Bulma could hardly decide where to start, opting for a piece of chicken in some sort of white sauce with baked potatoes. Not exactly the best diet choice, but she decided she deserved a little treat. Vegeta ate beside her in silence. The band of musicians played traditional songs of Hephaestus in cheerful tones, and the guests chatted lively, here and there someone would sing along. Bulma could no longer bear the curiosity, turning to the Vegeta and quietly posing the question that bothered her ever since the toast.

"I thought your people did not like me, and they were generally opposed to our deal. Why are they acting ... so cheerfully?" For a few moments Vegeta did not respond, and Bulma thought he had decided to ignore her, but the answer she did not expect came soon.

"Two reasons. First, your technology will bring a revolution in the recovery of the injured. Second, rumours and news travel fast, you were attacked by servants of Ares, and you fought against them yourself. It affected their opinions." Bulma processed this information, with a little relief realizing that maybe her new status was not as bad as she had originally thought. She smiled and concluded cheerfully, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Vegeta looked at her in wonder, not expecting such a reaction.

"I assume so." He replied shortly, not feeling the urge to continue the conversation. He had already caught Riana's gaze several times, radiating resentment and sorrow, and although he did not care too much for such feelings, he still found that they bothered him.

"I already told you, later." This ended their communication, leaving Bulma a little disappointed. And heated. Is it so hard to respond to a few questions? She shook her head and continued her meal in silence.

As the evening wore on, people became freer and cheerier. A few sang along with the band, some danced, merrily bouncing to the ever faster and more cheerful tones of the music. Bulma felt quite tired and intoxicated with wine. Although she did drink moderately, the wine was quite strong and she could feel her muscles relax and her legs occasionally tapping merrily to the beat of the music. Vegeta spent most of his time talking to Kakarot who was sitting next to him. Even though he was not a member of the royal family, he was the first officer and right hand of the prince. Bulma was both delighted and surprised that in Hephaestus gender and rank were not determinants of one's future. Indeed, it was a completely different world than she expected, and she was just starting to discover it.

"If you want to dance, you can" Helena mentioned nonchalantly, noticing the good mood of the princess. Bulma blushed, instantaneously calming her body, returning to her classic rigid posture. "Thank you, but I would rather not." No matter how much more leisured the people were here, Bulma still could not imagine coming down and dancing, the very thought made her laugh. "Honestly, I cannot even imagine that." She looked at Helen with sincere curiosity.

"Maybe that would be too much to start with." The queen laughed herself, “it is already quite late, and a perfect time for the ladies to retire.”

She did not expect that. "Retire?" She asked in wonder.

Helena waved to the young maid, who ran over in a haste. Following a few instructions, she nodded and walked away with an equally hurried pace. "Soon things will get a little out of hand, so it is common for women to withdraw. Not because they should not have fun or rejoice as much as men .... but because we have the opportunity to socialize privately. Just follow me." She winked discreetly at Bulma who honestly did not know what to think.

The queen addressed the king, who nodded absently. He had a brisk but bland discussion with the younger prince and the older officer.

The queen got up and the whole hall fell silent. Bulma was captivated by her quiet and powerful authority. Everyone in the hall calmed down, those who were seated, immediately stood up, bowing their heads. Helena nodded to Bulma to get up, who obeyed quickly but discovered that the wine had affected her perhaps slightly more than she had originally thought. Almost losing her balance, Vegeta quickly grabbed her upper arm and stood up himself. He looked at her with playful amazement, and whispered in her ear, "Enjoy the rest of your evening."

His hot breath tickled her ear, and she felt the heat flow through her body. Why the hell he had such an effect on her. Instead of disliking him with all her heart, she just felt nervous in his presence. She attributed that emotion to the wine and directed all her power of concentration into moving gracefully. Helena and Bulma stepped down off the podium, and Chi-Chi soon joined them, extending her forearm to Bulma. The three women left the room, Bulma felt the looks burning her back, but this time, easily ignored them.

* * *

A few hours later, the young princess was sitting alone in her chambers. She let her hair down, and now it fell freely down her shoulders, reaching her waist. Helena and Chi-Chi had recently left and Bulma had to admit that despite everything, she had a good time that evening. She didn't dare ask Helen any technical questions she kept for Vegeta, but their conversation was very exciting nonetheless. Helena explained to them some of the customs and expectations for someone of her status. What pleased Bulma was the fact that she would have much more freedom in this new home, than on Poseidon.

With an escort she could go wherever she wanted with prior notice, Chi-Chi had the freedom to figure out whether she wanted to take the place of Bulma's personal bodyguard or personal court lady. Both functions allowed her to be with Bulma most of the time, which was great news. Another last piece of information was related to training. Her restriction was not valid here, and she had full freedom to use the royal exercise rooms. The young girls were especially pleased with this.

Helena hinted that Bulma and Vegeta were indeed a handsome couple, which caused chuckling by Chi-Chi and blushing by Bulma. Soon the queen mentioned that she had noticed the birth of a wonderful friendship between Chi-Chi and Kakarot, which caused just the opposite, Chi blushed like a pepper, while Bulma hardly refrained from giggling. Helena did not want to discuss political issues, she told them there would be time for that later. Bulma felt admiration and affection for the queen, she was beautiful, strong, confident and intelligent. She had stern but beautiful features, full lips and dark eyes that had the power to look into your soul and read emotions you were not even aware of. In Bulma's rooms, they were greeted by more wine and several trays of various desserts. Although she tried to drink in moderation, she still felt a ringing in her ears and mild dizziness. But in fact, after a long time, she actually felt great. She sighed and decided it was time for bed, but first, she went out on the balcony again. She breathed in the fresh night air, its gentle freshness waking her up and she thought that if she could muster the strength it would be nice to welcome the sunrise.

Once more, she was startled by a deep voice behind her. She turned and saw Prince Vegeta, leaning against the balcony door frame. His gaze was a little hazy but still harsh. Against her will, she blushed, her heart racing a bit faster than usual.

"It is later now. If my mother has not already answered the questions?"

Bulma did not expect this, she opened her mouth but could not find the words. She tried to remember her questions, so important until a moment ago. Vegeta raised an eyebrow questioningly, waiting. The second time that evening he joined her on the balcony, crossed his arms over his chest and waited. Bulma remembered the questions, but suddenly lost the courage to ask them. As if sensing her hesitance, Vegeta guessed exactly what interested her.

"Perhaps you are interested in the technical side of our contract. That is, our marital duties?" If she had blushed before, now her cheeks took on a new shade of red, and her mind spun with surprise.

He crossed the distance between them in a few steps and leaned over, on Bulma's shock and disbelief, towards her neck. She froze and felt the heat spread through her body. She did not know what to expect, but Vegeta just smelled her neck. "Tsk, I see you like our wine." Feeling criticized by this statement, Bulma retaliated with the same measure and shamelessly approached Vegeta, stood on her toes, now barefoot, and smelled his neck. She was expecting alcohol, but she could only smell his masculine scent, which was far more intense in this vicinity. She swallowed hard and quickly walked away from Vegeta.

Honestly, she did not recognize herself, what has gotten into her, treating a man she was supposed to dislike like…this?

Vegeta did not move an inch, he looked at her seriously, intimidatingly, and something else was there, but Bulma found it difficult to concentrate.

"As far as I know, our marriage is like any other. With one exception. If our child does not inherit your gift, we have the right to annul the marriage without compromising the transactional contract of our planets." She finally found the strength to focus on what interested her. This is a unique opportunity.

In his style, Vegeta only briefly confirmed. "That is right."

‘Let us move on’, she thought. "Will the wedding look similar to tonight's celebration?"

Vegeta nodded again, "Add more decorations, more formal clothes, a better band and more or less it will be the same." Bulma folded her arms contentedly under her chest, inadvertently distracting Vegeta from her eyes for a brief second. She didn't catch that.

"Will you start a war with Ares?" This topic changed the atmosphere, which suddenly became a few degrees colder.

"Skip political issues," Vegeta warned her coldly, the expression on his face motionless.

Fine, she honestly did not want to discuss politics herself but felt it necessary to at least ask.

"Who is Riana?" she asked with sincere curiosity. This question caused the prince's expression and behaviour to change. "It is none of your business." He growled and revealed a different man she hadn't met before. She withdrew from him, but at the same time, she felt anger ( _jealousy?_ ) boiling inside her. "If there is another woman in your life, I have a right to know!" She shouted and even surprised herself. While she wanted to avoid an argument with the prince, at the same time she had it enough with lies and deceptions, she had every right to enter into this with her eyes open.

Vegeta angrily left the balcony and headed for the door, Bulma following in his footsteps. Before he grasped the doorknob, she grabbed his arm, trying to pull him away. But instead, Vegeta pulled her and pushed her against the wall. Leaning so close to her that their bodies almost touched. Bulma moaned unwillingly, not expecting such an effect from his mere closeness. She parted her lips slightly, breathing rapidly. Her body betrayed her and she felt the heat flow through her body. Her reaction had a counter effect on Vegeta, also a very involuntary one. He growled, but not out of anger this time. The way she moaned made his body respond and the two of them stared at each other lustfully. He squeezed her narrow waist with his hand, and when he thought the impulse would overwhelm him, he remembered the reason why they were in this situation. The truth was that Vegeta loathed anything or anyone who affected his self-control. Bulma had some kind of power over him, with her appearance and demeanour, and he did not like it one bit. Finally regaining control, Vegeta whispered angrily, "Do not mention her name ever again." With that, he pushed himself away from the wall and left Bulma standing there, slamming the door behind him.


	6. "You disgust me."

How did she envision her wedding day? Well, quite frankly, Bulma never thought about it too much. She knew very well just how little say she will have anyways. So, why bother dreaming about a day that will never be the way you want it?

Only eighteen, but what does her youth have to do with anything? Her life will always be governed by others. Slowly, but surely she started to accept her reality, and on her wedding day, she was sitting lifelessly on the futon, her gaze was empty and gloomy. The previous day she was lucky enough to be given privacy, buying some well-deserved time to reflect on what has been happening in her life lately. This, however, left a sour feeling in her heart, so she turned to the future, which was not any better. No matter which train of thought she tried to follow, the conclusion was always the same. If life was a game of cards, she was never the one dealing the cards, but rather, obediently and silently accepting what was handed to her. Her head down, her lips sealed.

She was certain that some time alone will do her good, so she turned down Chi-Chi's offer to spend the previous afternoon training, or taking a walk or conversing. She assumed wrong, and by the end of the previous day the weight in her heart was as heavy as a ton of rocks, her mind troubled and completely resigned.

She might have even honed a small hope that prince Vegeta might be different from what others have said. He was handsome and intelligent, and perhaps he had some kindness in him, perhaps Bulma could be the one to melt away the walls in his heart and find her place here? Such foolish dreams, but she was only eighteen, she did not know much of affairs of the heart, of disappointment and broken promises and she could not help but dream sometimes. What a rude wake up was to be handled with such arrogance and harshness the night of the engagement. The very man who put his family’s heirloom on her finger was the same one that was livid with her for uttering that woman’s name. Her prince charming already had a woman in his life, the very one that will soon replace Bulma. What will she do after her time expires? Will she be wedded to another man? It is funny how seeking answers only have brought more questions.

On her wedding day, Bulma was sitting on a comfortable sofa, waiting for the sunrise. And finally, the sun rose, filling the sky with shades of orange and pink. Peach and magenta, amber and rose, radiating hope, a new beginning. Another chance to live. The start of a brand new day. One tear slid down her cheek. Suddenly, the tears burst forth like water from a dam, spilling down her face. She felt the muscles of her chin tremble like a small child and she looked towards the window as if the light of the sun could soothe her. There was static in her head once more, the side effect of this constant anxiety, constant stress she lived with. She could hear her own sounds of crying for the first time in years, like a distressed child, raw from the inside. Today it felt as if they were taking something from her, she didn't even know she had left to give. It was like theft of the spirit; an injury no other person can see.

So she cried, form fear, from angst, from sadness. Did she really not dream of her wedding? Was there not a time she thought being a princess was a privilege, instead of a curse? The sun rose and shone its warmth hugging the new day. Bulma wept for her childhood and for her home for what seemed like hours. She took a deep shaky breath and hugged herself seeking comfort. The new day has come and the next morning she will wake up next to her husband.

Above all, she was a princess and duty was engraved into her, natural as breathing air. So she slowly dragged herself to the bathroom, because if there is one thing she will decide this day it will be the right to shower herself. Warm water was soothing and welcome, taking some of the pressure from her. The water poured down, dripping by her side, as her mind faded into dullness and everything was a foggy illusion. The sensation of the steamy water calmed her; it would always take her mind off things. It's the water. Bulma’s mind swirled, and it was like she is standing under an everlasting waterfall. Ever so beautiful, but she knew it can never last. Everything always comes to an end.

She put on the lingerie intended for that day (or night?), finally hugging herself with a white silk robe. Sun was higher now, and it was warmer, but nevertheless, Bulma shuddered, feeling her heart beating fast. A loud knock startled her, although she was expecting it. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes,

“You may enter!”

So, the show begins.

Five girls, all wearing identical blue dresses were not overly happy with Bulma taking care of her hair and hygiene by herself. One noticed her eyes seemed red, another asked if she had enough sleep. Someone left to get breakfast and coffee. Bulma’s expression was still mostly empty. She was nor smiling, nor pretending she cares. Something about this morning’s outburst left her feeling like an empty shell.

Hours went by and before she knew it, she was ready. They guided her to the mirror and the sight she found there took her by surprise. The dress had a straight cut leaving her shoulder bare, it was tightly fitted with the upper part being skin-tight, and from the waist down the dress spread into a sumptuous A-shape. The silk used as a material was something Bulma had never quite seen before, at the same time so glistening and smooth. The dress was complemented with a petticoat, whose task was to expand the plain A-line into a larger and more luxurious one. The sleeves were long and narrow, reaching to her wrists. Earrings and a matching neckless were adorned with shimmering ruby stones, contradicting and complementing her aqua locks at the same time. Her hair, to her surprise, was let loose and free but styled into romantic waves of the blue sea. And finally, on top, a glistening crown laid in all its beauty. Bulma was breathless looking at the most beautiful crown she had ever seen, low diamonds adorned the crown along its entire length. It was not a full circle like the queens but in a crescent shape. In the very middle lay again a ruby stone, but much grander than that in the rest of the jewellery. Simple but at the same time breathtaking and beautiful. Bulma was starting to actually like the simpler and non-extravagant approach to fashion on this planet, which was much different from what she was used to.

Regarding herself, in the mirror, she realized she seemed different. Her expression was solemn and she looked more…mature. For the first time in her life, she thought of herself as a grown woman. That brought her nor relief nor sadness. It was simply there in her eyes, something changed ever since... Her mind was not yet ready to deal with that, so she quickly brushed it aside. 

After finishing, maids bowed respectfully and left Bulma alone. She appreciated those few minutes to herself. She looked longingly at the futon, realizing she won’t be able to sit down for a quite some time. Another knock was heard, but this time so faint she was first sure it was only a projection of her tired mind. Again, this time a bit louder, someone knocked on the doors. She regarded the time, realizing it must be her escort to the chapel. She exhaled shakily, feeling the stress overwhelm her. She was not ready. “You may enter.”

Young prince Tarble entered her chambers cautiously, as he was afraid of someone or something. Bulma looked at him questionably, tilting her head in confusion. Their eyes met, and Tarble nervously bowed “Your highness, I am here…I am here to escort you to Vegeta. No, what I meant was, to escort you to the wedding. The chapel! Yes, everything will soon be in place.” He was almost a spitting image of Vegeta, but with much softer facial features and eyes that seemed warmer and more friendly. His hair was identical to the trademark black flames, just a little shorter, with one less obedient lock of hair laying on his forehead.

He was nervous and it was showing. Bulma was amazed by this. During the engagement dinner, they had no opportunities to talk or get to know one another, but somehow she assumed he would be very much identical to Vegeta in character as well as in the appearance. But this young man before her seemed somewhat timid and even kind? While she hardly felt in the mood to engage in any conversations that day, the curiosity got the best of her.

“Hello Tarble, it is nice to finally properly meet you. Are you feeling fine today? You seem quite restless.” Her question made him even more nervous, his cheeks went a shade darker and he nervously glanced around the room, avoiding her gaze.

“Well, to be honest, I dislike such big public events.”

Bulma giggled at this, feeling some tension leave her body. “Well Tarble, you should be relieved to know I will most definitely be more in the centre of attention. And if we are spilling secrets here…I also hate big public events.” This was not entirely true, well perhaps if she was in the centre of a public event surrounded by perfect strangers it was. For some reason, she immediately took a liking to him and wished to relieve the poor boy.

He looked at her, amazed with this confession, it seemed to help with his stress, as he finally smiled for the first time. Bulma responded in the same manner and smiled as well. She knew now why she liked him, he reminded her a bit of herself.

“Well, Tarble I guess we should not be late for the big event.” She tried once more to smile reassuringly, but her lips would not move. Corners weakly moved, but her eyes were saying the truth anyways. Tarble noticed it finally, blinded by the bright white dress and the beauty of the princess he did not grasp it before. But her eyes seemed so sad it ashamed him for fussing over being the one to walk her down the aisle. His life will soon return to normal, but for Bulma, it will be anything but. Truth be told, he could not even imagine how this all must have been for her. And there she was, trying to make him feel better when it should be him to offer some comfort. He stood tall and proud, putting his best smile on display.

“Before we do, I just wanted to tell you we are pleased to have you here as part of our royal family.” His smile faded slowly, gazing seriously at Bulma. “I mean this. My brother might seem rough and unsympathetic most of the times, but he is an amazing big brother, and son, and a man. I am sure he will also make a good husband to you.”

Bulma gaped in shock, she certainly did not expect this from the younger prince. His words were sincere and warm, and she felt an urge to hug him, to thank him for these kind words that did make her feel better. Knowing very well this would not be appropriate she simply nodded, “Thank you Tarble for your kind words.” This time her smile reached her eyes, and something appeared within her, perhaps it was hope.

* * *

The chapel was stunningly constructed, all in stone, the windows were decorated with frescoes, and the walls with illustrations of the history of the planets. She smelled a familiar scent of burned wax from the candles lit down the aisle, mixed with the scent of red roses which decorated the whole chapel. When they stepped into the room, everyone stood up and there was complete silence until the piano began to play a gentle and unfamiliar tune. Tarble interpreted this as a sign and they went in together. Bulma tried to look for familiar faces and spotted Chi-Chi at the middle of one of the rows packed with sayijains. She observed Bulma in admiration, winking quickly at her, and that little sign of support helped the princess gain courage. In the first row, there were the queen and the king, Helena nodded slightly in approval.

At the altar, Vegeta stood and observed her, his gaze unfathomable. Tarble paused in front of Prince Vegeta, and offered her hand. He accepted, his cold leather gloves took her bare and warm hand into his, and now she stood face to face with her future husband. He wore a much more lavish uniform than the one at the engagement dinner. All in black, but with metal armour in dark red, the insoles on the shoulder were more prominent, the cloak seemed heavy and lavish. Their eyes met briefly, and Bulma's heart quickened. This is it, it is happening.

Bulma was actually relieved that the priest was rather brief, with very formal slogans leading to the crucial questions. They both agreed briefly and that was all. They were proclaimed husband and wife, and loud applause erupted through the hall. Now they both knew what was coming. An emotionless look before he pulled her face closer and their lips met. But it was not like in the stories she read back at home. No fireworks for them. The kiss was like two strangers meeting: very formal and mechanical. Still, the touch of his lips caused a stream of tension and warmth in her body. There was something in him that could easily disarm her determination to find him repulsive. Could it be easier if he was less attractive? His lips were hot and softer than she expected, and the kiss was thankfully short.

Together they waited for the hall to be completely emptied. When they were left alone, Bulma felt a palpable discomfort. The tradition was, as far as she was able to gather, to wait before making their entrance to the banquet hall, so the guests have time to find their places. Bearing in mind how their previous conversation ended, Bulma was highly uncomfortable, not knowing how to engage in a conversation, or for that matter if she even wanted to. She took a deep shaky breath, feeling relief that this part of the process was behind them. This motion draws the prince’s attention, as he turned towards her.

“There is more to come, we are just getting started.” His voice was stern and serious as always, so it was not the tone it took her by surprise, but rather the content. What was he referring to, their kiss? She blushed profusely, realizing he might be referring to their first night together. An event Bulma was actively trying to avoid thinking about. She had no experience and Chi-Chi, the only person she could actually confide in with such questions, was as well, also inexperienced.

Her circle of close confidants and friendships ended with Chi-Chi, meaning Bulma has never even had a chance to listen to anyone else’s stories, knowledge, or skills? The books she had the opportunity to read have always skipped over such details, and the love story would simply continue the next day, making the events of the prior night a great mystery. She was aware that she could not ask anyone for advice, which meant that she would have to figure this out for herself. She tried to think of an appropriate answer but could not imagine what she could say. However, if she put their communication so far on a paper, it would not be longer than one page, so she felt as she had to say, well…something. Feeling like too much time has passed in complete silence, Bulma panicked to end it and blurted out something rather foolish.

“I hope you will not be disappointed.” She averted her gaze, eyes widening in shock, why did she say that? She mentally kicked herself, hoping the prince might drop the topic. No such luck.

He raised one eyebrow in confusion, “Disappointed by what exactly?”

Her mind rushed to find the right answer, know doubting she might have misunderstood his first declaration. “Well, by the events of this evening.” Such a diplomatic response was sure to salvage her.

He finally made the connection and realised that Bulma certainly has misunderstood him. He smirked, knowing she was actually referring to their first night together. He himself was trying to not give it too much thought, diminishing it to an irrelevant event that was bound to happen anyway. However, he guessed this must be nerve-wracking for her, he did not believe those idiotic set up by the ruler of Ares, a couple of years ago, and was certain of her purity. Not that it mattered to him anyways.

He chuckled darkly and turned to face Bulma, “Hmph, do not worry, woman, I will make up for your inexperience.” It was a low blow, but he was just mostly curious how she would respond to such provocation.

Bulma’s cheeks flushed from the shock and embarrassment, how dare he?! Address her as a _woman,_ and call her out on her lack of experience?! Her embarrassment quickly turned to anger, and she franticly searched for a way to return this provocation. Thankfully she had just the perfect idea.

“Well, prince Vegeta, if I am to judge by our recent kiss, it will be quick and forgettable.” Oh, this indeed struck a nerve. Vegeta was left speechless, and this was not something happening frequently, if ever.

He grabbed her by forearms, and pulled her closer, “How dare you mock me?” Too close. Her daring eyes were to close and her perfume was too mesmerising, her lips full and inviting, she flooded his senses completely, and in revolt and need to prove her wrong, he fell in a trap, Bulma didn’t even know she set.

His lips brushed hers. This time not mechanically or formally, but hot, fiery, passionately and demanding. She automatically wanted to pull away before she lost herself, but she could not seem to…In this moment, her senses have been seduced and she was no longer able to think straight. Fire she though not possible to feel, engulfed her body. Vegeta deepened the kiss and she allowed him, he pulled her even closer, she could not object. Although technically this was the third time she was kissed in her life, it felt like the first time. And the longer it lasted she never wanted it to end. But all good thing comes to an end, right?

“Khm, Khm.” A voice from the chapel doors startled them both, and they broke the kiss. Bulma was panting, feeling shaky from the kiss and the feelings it awakened inside her. Vegeta recovered much quicker than her, and was back to his usual self, taking a step away, looking at the person that interrupted with…disbelief? Bulma now followed his gaze, noticing a sayijain woman, standing at the door, wearing a formal armour as well. She seemed hurt and angry. These were all the clues she needed. It was her, it was that woman, the same she completely forgot just seconds ago. This must be Rianna. Well, nice to finally meet you.

When she spoke again it was clear she was trying to control her emotions, but both Vegeta and Bulma could see right through it. “Everybody is ready for you to enter the banquet hall.” With that, she bowed and left hurriedly.

Once again they were left alone, and the atmosphere was even tenser than just a few minutes ago. Vegeta seemed as he wanted to say something in regards to this interruption, but Bulma quickly decided she does not want to hear it. Right now she was not thinking straight and could not deal with any more revelations or explanations.

“Well, I believe we should not leave everybody waiting, shall we?” Her voice was still shaky from the effect of the kiss they shared, and by all means, she wanted to avoid eye contact.

“We shall.” He merely responded, offering his hand. Bulma took it, feeling his strong arms under the armour, firm as a stone. She looked straight ahead of her, not wanting to catch his gaze. What just happened? What was that kiss? She never felt this way, she never felt so lost and present and alive at the same time. It was certain that this man had some effect on her, that she was not able to control whatsoever. It was frightening and exhilarating at the same time. She took a grip of herself, concentrating on their entrance. Thankfully Vegeta remained completely silent, seemingly he was having thoughts of his own. Bulma wondered was it about what happened between them or about the woman that interrupted them.

* * *

The large double wooden doors were closed shut, with two guards standing by each side, waiting for their arrival. Vegeta nodded and they opened the door, straining a bit in the process.

The banquet hall was fittingly much bigger than the one they celebrated the engagement in. The concept was more or less the same, but everything was larger and more impressive. The frescoes were more colourful and detailed, numerous chandeliers hung from the walls, filled with large candles, shedding a dim but comforting light. As in the chapel, all tables were decorated with red flowers and more candles. The way their scents fused together, imprinted into Bulma’s mind, and she knew she will always remember it. Their feet were inaudible on the soft red carpet that paved the way towards the table for the newlyweds. With only four seats reserved, and among them, two in the middle were intended for them, which meant the queen and the king… She quickly scanned the room, noticing another large table, at which both King Vegeta and queen Helena were seated, but currently on their feet, welcoming the pair. Bulma wondered who else will share their table? And moreover, whatever will she talk about with Vegeta throughout the night? It seems that every time they are in private they end up with rather awkward exchange between them, and it was quite annoying.

Just before reaching the table Vegeta halted and turned to Bulma. She blinked in confusion, looking around her noticing she was the only one taken by surprise. They were now standing in an empty space, right on the display for everyone present. He pulled her closer and Bulma’s eyes widened from shock. What in the seven planets was happening here? However, when he put one arm around her waist and took her hand in his, horrific realisation dawned on her. The first dance, the very same she had no idea was coming. Her cheeks flushed and her heart was beating rapidly in her chest. Which dance is considered as classical here? She could not seem to remember that detail, as she felt her legs shaking from the tension. Damn him, or whoever was supposed to prepare her for this ordeal.

The cello of the band took the lead, and soon others joined him, playing a somewhat melancholy tone, the tempo was slow, and Vegeta took the lead. From the first few steps, she recognized the style as the classical waltz, which she luckily was rather skilled in. Her body relaxed in Vegeta’s arms, as he let him guide them across the dance floor. Their eyes finally met, and Bulma used this opportunity to bring back some normalcy among the couple.

“I was not aware the first dance was your tradition.” Her eyes never left him, their bodies as close as tradition would allow it.

“Hmph. Did you expect a bunch of monkeys, drinking and howling?” His words might have seemed harsh, but his tone was rather neutral and even a bit of teasing.

“Oh, no. No, I just. Well honestly, I did not know what to expect. But your people and your court are rather…refreshingly straightforward.” She smiled light-heartedly, remembering she indeed might have been expecting barbarians, wild people drinking and howling. But that was of course a detail she might skip when talking to the prince.

He briefly swept through the hall with his gaze, regarding his people. “That we are. Strong, proud, honest.” He looked back at Bulma, who nodded briefly.

“Well, you have earned your political position with strength and consistency. And might I add admirable leadership. As far as I know, every economic and political decision in the past ten years had a positive effect on your planet’s well-being.”

Vegeta was taken back by Bulma’s compliment, he did not expect her to be so well educated in the matters of economy and politics. Although by now, he should have realised there is more to her than her appearance. She radiated something that affected him and was capable of making him disregard his own decisions. He was both intrigued and irritated by this.

“You mean, ever since I took on my official duties.” His self-assured smirk made him even more handsome than the usual seriousness.

“Well, then I am sure our marital agreement will yield the same results.” Bulma found this to be the longest and most civilised conversation they shared so far, which was surprising, given the way they met just a few days ago.

The music came to an end, and they stopped dancing, now just facing one another, while the loud applause roared through the hall. Vegeta leaned and whispered in her ear, “It was not me who made that deal.” His breath was hot but made Bulma shudder. Well, she was wondering how long will it take for him to say something in this line. She nodded shortly, “That makes the two of us.”

He took her to the table, as they took their places. Bulma was still wondering who will be sharing their table, searching the room to find her friend at the same time. Suddenly she spotted Chi-Chi coming towards them, accompanied by Kakarot. Bulma smiled and waved at them discreetly, feeling relieved to find them both. The wonders of the evening kept taking place, as Chi-Chi took the seat next to her, and Kakarot next to Vegeta. Bulma glanced at Chi-Chi, obviously stunned. Chi-Chi quickly read her thoughts, and leaned over to her, whispering.

“Apparently, we are here to help with anything you might want.”

Bulma squinted at Chi-Chi, “But you are not servants.”

Chi-Chi giggled, and waved her hand, “Well, can you imagine servants sitting next to royalty on such a formal event? Or any for that matter.” Indeed, it would be highly inappropriate to be seated next to servants or to expect another member of the royal family to aid the newlyweds in whatever they might need. It actually made a lot of sense, and Bulma was entirely grateful Chi-Chi was there. Although she and Vegeta were making progress, having too much time to talk, could easily make that go in the opposite direction.

The food was soon served, along with the wine that was flowing freely. Bulma herself enjoyed its sweetness and fruitiness, paired with the robust taste. Chi-Chi was drinking as well, her cheeks flushed, and her gaze seemingly miles away. Bulma wondered what was her friend daydreaming about. She leaned to Chi-Chi and whispered, “A coin for your thoughts.” Chi-Chi snapped out of her state, covering her mouth as a child caught in mischief. Her cheeks were red, but Bulma doubted it was completely due to the wine.

“Oh, it is nothing important, I was just lost for a bit.” However, this did not convince Bulma, if only, it made her even more suspicious. Next to them, Vegeta and Kakarot were engaged in a conversation, perfectly oblivious of the two women talking.

Bulma decided to take a different approach, she knew Chi-Chi very well, and she knew when she was hiding something, as well as the fact she was a horrible liar. “So, how was your day yesterday?” She tried to keep a straight face, not to alarm Chi-Chi of her intentions.

“Well after we trained, I actually aided Manu in finishing the decorations, after which I…I took a walk through the castle.” She sipped some more wine, avoiding eye contact.

Aha! Bulma knew she was hiding something for sure. “With whom did you train exactly? You did mention a certain “we”.” And she hit the spot, Chi-Chi was evidently uncomfortable and restless in her chair.

“Well, after I left your chambers I so happened to run into Kakarot, who was kind enough to show me the training grounds and spar with me.” Bulma gasped in shock, in Poseidon if a single woman was to share such an intimate activity with a single man it would make the whole court gossip. Before she could make any comments, Chi-Chi defended herself.

“Apparently, here this is not unusual. Both women and man have more freedom to choose how and with whom they want to spend their time.”

Bulma chuckled, “I see. Well, it is fine by me, and you do make a wonderful couple.” She winked at Chi-Chi whose cheeks went a few shades darker.

“Bulma, we are just friends.” And although she was trying to keep a straight face, her smile told another story.

“Oh, of course you are!” Bulma decided to let this one go, for now, seeing as Kakarot was sitting rather close, and while neither of the men seemed interested in their conversation, they both knew how sharp all of their senses were.

Chi-Chi was relieved that Bulma dropped the topic, and sipped some more wine. She was not accustomed to the alcohol but found she enjoys how it makes her feel numb and lively at the same time. Bulma followed suit, and short silence among them arose. Bulma regarded the hall and the people. They seemed in good spirits, loudly chatting and clinking their glasses now and then. She looked at the queen who was deep in conversation with the king, Bulma could not make out their expressions, but it seemed like a friendly discussion. She averted her attention to her husband, whom she was intentionally trying to ignore. She overheard them speaking, recognizing the name they mentioned. Akira, the ruler of Janes was a man Bulma herself knew about quite a lot. Ruler of the nation that excelled in architecture, thanks to their blessing of the earth. Economically Janes was highly regarded, however, war wise, they were always neutral.

She strained to hear the conversation and overheard Vegeta talking in a stern, serious tone. “They will be here in two weeks, and by then we must find a way to convince him to join us.” Bulma’s mind quickly connected the dots. They wanted Janes to join them in war with Ares. It was true that Janes had a high combat potential that was mostly not utilised thanks to their king, who could care less about that. She saw the man a few times from a distance and has overheard her parents talking numerous times about how a difficult kind of man he was. He had a…specific interests when it came to negotiating, and understanding his peculiar taste was the only way to persuade him to go along with whatever you planned. In economic negotiations this was challenging, Bulma could only imagine what would it take to convince him to take a part in a war.

Kakarot clenched his fist, eyes filled with determination, “once he sees our strength and numbers he will agree to stand by us, I am sure!”

Bulma covered her mouth to silence the laugh that escaped her. Both men turned to her in wonder.

“Something we said amuse you?” Vegeta seemed rather displeased with the interruption.

“I apologise. But I could not help to overhear. If you think king Akira will be persuaded by your armed forces, better be prepared for disappointment.” Bulma crossed her arms over her chest, but quickly remembered it was not appropriate to do so in public. She lowered her hands in her lap and looked Vegeta straight into his eyes.

“Oh, and why is that?” Kakarot asked in genuine curiosity. Chi-Chi also leaned over the table, finding this small joint conversation rather interesting.

“He is a man of pleasures, and if you want to persuade him, you need to…well seduce him. With expensive drinks, exotic foods, beautiful women and luxurious gifts. I assure you, he could care less about the tactics or your plans.” Bulma leaned back in her chair, making her point.

Chi-Chi hurriedly nodded her head, agreeing with Bulma, “Oh, yes, he is an eccentric man, to say the least. He even offered enormous riches to bargain for Bulma when he first saw her, she was only 10!” Silence arose, as all present gaped at Chi-Chi.

“What are you talking about?” Bulma was first to react. “Akira tried to bargain for me? But back then he was what, twice my age?”

Both men listened in silence as Chi-Chi proceeded. “Yes, I honestly thought you knew Bulma. He never saw a woman, well a child like you. He was amazed by your hair and beauty. I cannot say if he just wanted to own you, or planned to make you his wife one day.” She shrugged.

Bulma blinked few times, with an expression of disgust on her face. “Well, that is…disturbing.” She sipped some more wine, processing this information. Vegeta and Kakarot exchanged glances, and Kakarot concluded in a rather unexpectedly cheerful voice, “I guess we’ll have to rethink our approach Vegeta!”

Vegeta nodded, “Seemingly so.” He turned to Bulma, wondering how she knew so much about Akira but was interrupted by Raditz that approached their table. He was freakishly tall, and Bulma had to stretch her neck to reach the top of his head.

He however did not even glance at Bulma or Chi-Chi, ignoring them completely. “Your highness, come join us for a second. We have some disagreements ‘bout the last battle at Rock Creek.” It was obvious the man had already drunk quite a lot. Otherwise, he would never make such a rude suggestion. But to her surprise, both Vegeta and Kakarot stood up to follow the tall man. Bulma glanced at Vegeta in astonishment, was he truly intending to leave her alone with Chi-Chi? That was beyond unacceptable. However, he simply nodded to both her and Chi-Chi and Kakarot waved, scratching back of his head with another. With that, both men left their table.

Bulma turned to Chi-Chi, who was in disbelief herself. Bulma opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Chi-Chi sighed, “Bulma, they have different traditions, don’t take it to your heart.”

Bulma blushed and shook her head, trying to avoid her friends gaze. “Take it to my heart? Huh, I just find it impolite, is all.” However, the wine took its toll, and her poker face was anything but. Chi-Chi gasped, realising she was most certainly missing something.

“Bulma I know you ever since I knew myself and you are most definitely hiding something from me.” Bulma took another sip of wine, a small voice of rationality advised her to perhaps slow down but was quickly cast aside. Well, why the hell not? She turned to Chi-Chi and told her all about the evening of engagement as well as that day's kiss in the chapel.

Chi-Chi’s eyes widened as Bulma came to the end of her confession. “Oh Bulma, I knew it. The tension between you two is palpable.” She chuckled, obviously having the best time teasing Bulma, who gasped and playfully kicked Chi-Chi in her shoulder. “Honestly, Chi-Chi.” She shook her head in false disbelief, but compared to this morning, she was feeling considerably better. Was it because of him? She glanced in his direction, only to witness a rather unpleasant scene. There were her husband and Kakarot sitting at the table with dozens of warriors, both women and man, dressed in armours. The woman sitting right next to Vegeta was no more and no less _that_ woman. Vegeta was having a rather lively discussion with Raditz, and Rianna was openly admiring Vegeta, and in one moment, not so apparent to others, she placed her hand on his thigh. Bulma averted her gaze and felt rage flow through her, how dare she? He just got married to another woman and this… this miserable wench is touching him, right in front of everybody! Bulma was fuming. She turned to Chi-Chi, “Did you see that?!” she whispered angrily. Chi-Chi grabbed her hand under the table, and with a serious expression but rather understanding voice tried to calm down Bulma. The last thing she needed was to make a scene, right here and there.

“Bulma dear, oh I did see it. Do not let her affect you. Calm down. Look for the threads, that always calms you down. And breathe.”

Bulma took a few deep breaths, trying her best to ignore the sight before her. She looked at the empty plate before her, she looked intently, but her mind was elsewhere. Chi-Chi noticed this with relief. Bulma was concentrating and threading, meaning she will be soothed and back to herself rather soon.

She threaded and linked her mind to everything liquid in the room, if she wished so, she could have easily splashed Rianna’s wine right to her face. But she retracted, and instead took her own glass in her hand. She shifted her gaze towards the wine, feeling every molecule as an extension of her body, her focus was sharp as a needle. It was odd, but as alcohol relaxed her body and mind, she was actually able to focus better. The wine gently rolled in the glass and Bulma found herself hypnotised by these movements. As her focus grew in intensity, the wine seemed to stop from moving at all. Something shifted inside of her and it scared her, she snapped out of it and put the glass back on the table. She did not understand what just happened, however, it made her feel very uncomfortable. Chi-Chi laid her hand gently on top of Bulma’s, “You seem rather tired, would you like me to escort you to your chambers?” Her voice was a bit nervous, but Bulma did not notice it.

Bulma shook her head, “It seems early to leave.” Her voice was distant, as she felt a bit light-headed. The chair next to her made a loud creaking sound, and half of the guests turned their heads to see the culprit. The seat next to Bulma was soon taken by the queen Helena who smiled widely at both girls.

“Bulma dear, I could not help but notice you seem a bit pale. Are you feeling unwell?” Queen Helena took Bulma’s right hand into hers, finding it rather cold. She exchanged a quick glance with Chi-Chi. “Well let me help you with those cold hands!” Helena took both of her hands into hers, and Bulma soon felt a soothing warm sensation flow through her. It brought her relief and as if she snapped from a dream, clarity and wakens.

“Actually, I am feeling rather fine now, thank you, Helena.” Bulma smiled at the queen and took her glass for another sip of wine. To her surprise, the wine was almost ice cold. She blinked a few times in confusion. The only logical explanation was that some servant added ice in meantime. Bulma shrugged this and continued to engage in conversation with both women at her table.

Helena was seemingly trying to distract Bulma from the prince. And successfully so, sharing some of the well-known traditions intrigued both Bulma and Chi-Chi, who were entirely warped into the interesting tales. As they listened, guests were getting more excited and drunk, many were dancing and cheering every so often. The night was surely nearing to an end, and as much as she wanted to stop the time from flowing, it was out of her hands. As Helena finished a story of equality in distribution of funds to the poorest in the planets, she took Bulma’s hand in hers, and softly whispered, “Bulma, it is time for you to go.” Her tone was soothing, but could not prevent Bulma from tensing. She swallowed hard, looking for Vegeta in the crowd. Their eyes met for a brief second, and Bulma noticed something different in his expression. Something wild and unspoken was there, and it sent shivers through her body.

“I was given no…specific instructions on this part of the evening. Some guidance would have been nice.” Bulma realised this was the last chance to gather something, anything about what will ensue. Helena chuckled reassuringly, the poor girl was trembling from dread, “You will be escorted by servants to your shared chambers, where they will help you undress. And then you wait for him to join you.”

This brought some relief, at least she will have some time before the prince joins her, it was not much, but it was something. She nodded to Helena, “Thank you, I…I am ready.”

Oh, how Helena wished she could have offered more guidance in these moments, but the time slipped away and Bulma will have to handle this herself. Queen gave a few orders to the servants, and soon the same women that prepared her for the ceremony were standing by the table, Chi-Chi did not join them to Bulma’s disappointment.

“These are my personal servants and you are in safe hands. You will be escorted through the rear exit…some are, well, rather intoxicated with the wine and we would not want some inappropriate comments, would we?” Helena winked at Bulma and gestured to the servants to leave. Discreetly they helped her leave, and those who noticed made no comments or fuss about it.

* * *

Vegeta’s chambers were spacious and dark. They were simply decorated, with dark colours prevailing, only a few light details contrasting them. She briefly thought about her room back home, how it was always light and inviting, with so many shades of blue complementing one another. She wondered if she will be allowed to make some changes here. Right at the entrance was a receiving room, in the centre, a large fireplace with a small fire crackling despite the warm weather. Room was filled with candles, and rose petals were scattered over the floor, making a pathway to a connected sleeping chamber. There she noticed a more dim light from the candles.

“It is beautiful. Who decorated the room?” Bulma turned to one of the servants, seriously doubting Vegeta was the romantic type. A young woman with an unusual pixie haircut giggled shyly, “I believe it is the tradition for your future ladies in waiting to do so.” Other soon nodded their heads in agreement. Well, it seems it will take quite some time before she gets the hang of the traditions of this planet. She expected to have her own ladies in waiting, knowing Chi-Chi alone will not suffice according to the regulations. She could only hope these women would become her friends, not enemies. The memory of the engagement party debacle was still fresh in her mind.

The same woman with the pixie haircut took the lead. “Ladies let us untangle these strips. Two can help with shoes, and someone bring a black robe.” She motioned to the back of Bulma’s dress, as two girls disappeared in what Bulma concluded was a wardrobe. They brought the long silk black robe and put it on the side. Bulma’s heart was beating like a drum.

As she finally felt the tightness of the dress gave away, she was able to breathe normally again. And although she was used to the strain caused by the corsets, they were never the less always rough to wear for such long hours. The servants were working in complete silence that was soon broken by a loud noise. All of them turned to the doors that were gaping open, and there stood prince Vegeta. His eyes were even darker and more threatening in the dim light of the chambers. Young women aiding Bulma, were immediately at a standstill and bowed to his highness. Bulma did not move a muscle, mostly form shock caused by his early appearance. Her dress was loosely clinging to her body as she blinked in confusion.

“Out, all of you.” His voice sent shivers down her spine, he was a different man than the one with whom she swirled across the dance floor just a few hours ago. His features were darker, eyes threatening. Bulma suddenly felt alarmed.

“They were not finished.” She tried to oppose him, but her voice came out small and insignificant. Servant hurriedly left the room, not counting on Bulma to have any say in these matters. Doors silently clicked after them and she was left all alone with her husband.

“I…” she wanted to object but felt his presence suffocate all of her will to do so. And it seemed as he was well aware of this. A grin played on his lips, as he walked towards her, disappearing as soon as he stood in front of her. He put his hands on her face, they tracked down her neck and finally come to a halt at the brim of her dress. His eyes were murky and unreadable to Bulma who never felt so exposed and threatened by a man before. Suddenly, his hands pulled her dress and she heard a loud tearing noise, before feeling completely free of the dress. It fell lifelessly to the floor and she was left standing in nothing but her underwear. A small cry escaped her as she tried to cover her chest, but his firm grasp stopped her. He pulled her closer and stared in her eyes intently. There was something wild in them, hidden under the emptiness they initially bared.

His lips crushed into hers. This time nor mechanical or formal nor passionate. They were demanding and rough and as much as Bulma tried to object she simply lacked the strength to pull away. He broke the kiss and breathing heavily, smelled her neck. “You reek of innocence, it disgusts me.” Bulma started to shiver from terror, what was wrong with him? He might be whatnot, but he would never say something like that to her. She was sure of this. How could she have been so wrong?

He easily swiped her of her feet and carried her to the sleeping chambers, where he roughly threw her on the bed while he took care of his armour. In a few swift movements, he was bare-chested and looming over her. It was, even more, dimmer in the bedroom, thanks to just a few candles offering only a soft glow, making his features look more intimidating than before. With one hand he tore her bra off, leaving her chest bare and exposed. She tried to cover herself, however, both of her hands were soon pinned over her head. He glanced over her body and growled, this pushed Bulma over the edge as a single tear slid down her cheek. Not even noticing this, Vegeta roughly kissed Bulma as his hand traced down her chest and her stomach. Panic overwhelmed her as more tears flew down her cheeks.

“Please…stop…You are hurting me. STOP!” Bulma shouted as she slammed the content of the nearby jug straight to Vegeta’s face. He halted immediately, looking stunned at Bulma. They were both panting and there was complete silence for a few seconds. He let go of Bulma’s hands, and she was finally able to cover herself. He got off the bed and covered his eyes with one hand as he was fighting a migraine.

“I... I am...” He sounded more dazed than remorseful to Bulma who was still shaking from the stress. With that, he grabbed his clothes and left. Bulma heard a loud thud from the doors and collected the sheets to cover herself. She wanted to cry, but it seems she exceed her daily limit as nothing came. Her body and spirit were exhausted, but as she lowered herself down and laid her head on the soft pillows, she knew sleep was out of the question.


	7. “…Not until you beg me to.”

No such pressures were imposed on her as a child. She was privileged due to her status and enjoyed its benefits daily. On her training, she was always accompanied by the best of the best. Exceptional warriors, among the elite ranks, guided her and kept track of her progress regularly. Her father was repeatedly present, sometimes even joining personally in the process of shaping her war skills. And she enjoyed it dearly. Her body grew stronger every day, constantly praised and pushed forward and she knew there will be a bright future ahead of her. She was fooled and blinded by false expectations. When forming her mind and body into one of a warrior, she was actually continuously groomed for a completely different role. It took her quite a while to figure it out, although it was always right there in front of her nose.

Cautiously directed pressure started when she entered her teen years. Her body started to develop and shape into a one of a young woman, and where muscles reigned, softer and feminine features appeared. Up until then, she saw Vegeta as her prince and future comrade. She admired him for his skills and intellect and even started to think of him as a friend. It took her quite a while to figure out how their accidental overlapping in training sessions and frequent family dinners were not that accidental at all.

However, from the moment she bled for the first time it was made quite clear that her future lays somewhere else, rather than on the battlefield. Her combat skills were simply a necessary part of her heritage and courtship to prince Vegeta. Her mother especially filled her with notions, ideas and expectations that included her as a future mate of the prince. At first, she was appalled by this thought, men did not yet attract her in that way, moreover, Vegeta was a comrade. She aspired to be the greatest general Hephaestus has ever seen. Yet, her mother was not fazed by her personal views or desires. She made it clear that her duty as the offspring of the second ruling family was no more and no less, to get noticed and picked by the prince.

Oh, how she despised it. And oh, how little choice she had in these matters. Her missions were repeatedly under the leadership of Vegeta and side by side they completed numerous missions and training camps together. Secretly, she hoped he would just choose someone else, and then her parents would simply let her be. But, over the years she matured and she watched Vegeta grew up in an admirable man. Firm, strong, just, merciless when required. He embodied all of the desirable traits a sayian man should have and slowly and surely, over the last few years she fell for him.

It is hard to pinpoint an exact moment when it happened, but she realised one day that the notion of becoming his wife has indeed become her own dream and wish. Whenever she was close to him a familiar wave of raw desire would hit her and she could not help but imagine how it would feel to be held in his strong embrace. It became her main preoccupation. He invaded almost all of her thoughts and dreams, and the bliss she felt when her vision started to form into a reality was overwhelming. So overwhelming that all of her initial aspirations seemed so irrelevant, as a part of a different person, a different life.

But, as soon as she started to plan their wedding in her mind, the news arrived and crashed her dreams into nothingness. The pathetic and scrawny princess of Poseidon was to become his partner in marriage and the mere thought drove her crazy. She wanted to see her suffer in flames combusted by her rage, she wanted to see her gone and erased from the face of their planet. She took everything from her and even made Rianna question her objectives. What else was there if she will not be the next queen? And for those questions she hated her even more, she disrupted the balance of her mind and heart and honestly she feared at some moments if the rage and pain will take away her sanity.

Some of her actions were downright pathetic and Rianna started to loathe herself for dropping so low on the scale of sayian pride. During the wedding dinner, she was delighted that Vegeta left the princess and joined her at the table. Well, practically he joined his men, but those are less important details. She tried to erase the image of them kissing from her mind with the power of alcohol and was succeeding.

So, when he sat next to her she did not have a concrete plan on what was wise to do but instead followed her instincts. Instincts of a desperate woman. She laid a hand on his tight and felt him tense in response. Using the opportunity, her hand traced his thigh higher and higher until the rough grip of his hand stopped her. He ruthlessly grabbed her hand and pushed her away. But that was not even the worst part, it was the look in his eyes. He glared at her with rage, and…pity.

And for the first time in years, she felt rage directed at Vegeta. How dare he push her away as she was some sort of a pest, an undesirable piece of trash, scraps?! Damn him and that bitch and let them have each other. Alcohol enhanced bravado and the newfound rage made her do a very foolish thing. Oh, she knew it now, sitting in her room and waiting for her sentence to arrive. Vegeta will know and he will punish her for this, and so he should. Such a lowly move against someone she fought side by side for years, someone she admired so dearly, someone who was her sworn prince was worth of any punishment he could come up with.

Tears of the dragon were a well-known mood enhancer, to say the least. It was a supplement drug often used on the battlefields and on long and tiring missions, when the spirit and determination of man and women were wavering, a few drops of this solution would resolve the issue. However, the drops were to never be mixed with alcohol beverages since it could provoke aggression and unpredictable behaviour. Such clouded judgement was never welcome in high-level stress situations. But at that point, the mere thought of that woman and Vegeta caressing and making love made her sick to her stomach. So, she poured a few drops, maybe even a bit more – but who’s counting? – into his cup with swift and undetectable movements that even the most agile of the cats would be envious of. In the heat of the discussion and ruckus, no one even noticed. 

Before long the drops started to have an effect, and when she noticed Bulma take her leave she was certain Vegeta would soon follow, and so he did. In retrograde, she was aware now that with his raw uncontrolled power he could have even killed the bitch. And while this though caused little remorse, knowing he _will know_ it was her, did cause panic and penitence. What she did that night could and should be seen as an assault. She hugged her knees and watched the still, warm night through her window, wondering if she will be here to watch the next sun come out.

* * *

He pushed the doors of the medical wing wide open. No. He blasted the doors from the hinges and made quite an entrance. His mind was clouded and foggy, his vision blurred with a single focal point of clarity in the middle. He stumbled inside, feeling the unusual and aggressive drums in his chest, his heart was racing like crazy and at this point, Vegeta felt it could easily betray him right here and there leaving his body to be found by some bypasser.

“Your highness!” an unknown voice squeaked somewhere in front of him, and Vegeta groaned in response. He leaned on the wall, closing his eyes and controlling his impulses. It has gotten worse and as time passed the urge to smash everything and everyone into a messy pulp was overbearing. A small alien medic approached him and tried to give him support which earned him a rough push from the prince.

“Do not touch me.” He hissed and opened his eyes to glare at the medic, trying to push his irrelevant face into the focus of his limited visual field. “Get me Bardock, _now_.” Small alien needed no more instructions, and as he prepared to carefully step around the prince, Vegeta hissed once more, causing him to shiver from the tone of his voice and the threat embroiled in his next order. “And no word to anyone else.”

Oh, he could only imagine what consequences there would be if he was to disregard his prince’s orders. So, without further delay, he ran as quick as his small leg carried him to find the doctor who is undoubtedly better equipped to deal with the prince. 

Vegeta sunk to his knees, as they betrayed him. His mind was spinning like crazy and he was certain he will throw up the contents of the day. That is if he doesn’t pass out before that.

Although his mind was far from clear and focused, it took him no extra effort to realize he was drugged with something. Dragon tears most probably. He never had the need for such mood enhancers, his stamina could endure months of fighting and high-stress situations, but he has seen the effects on his people. And knew just how unwise was to mix them with anything but clear water. Water…His hand touched his face and felt his sweat mixed with the wine thrown at him. He tried to recall earlier events of the evening, but this effort caused too much strain and he finally lost the contents of his stomach.

Soon a firm hand was on his shoulder, and by the ki signature, Vegeta knew it was Bardock.

“What the fuck happened?”

Vegeta would have smacked him right in the face if only he could muster such strength. Instead, he groaned in discomfort, making it clear he is in no state to chat. Bardock put his limp hand around his shoulder and carried him to a medical room. He glanced at Rio, a male technician from Artemis and nodded in his direction. “I will take it from here. Thank you for assisting and not a single word to anyone.”

Rio nodded quickly and left the two alone. Although medicine was his calling and he was already used to eccentric behaviour of sayians, he had no particular desire to stay.

It took Bardock more than two hours to clean Vegeta’s bloodstream, the quantity of the drug in his system was alarming. A few drops more and he could have died this evening from a heart failure. This was a serious matter and he considered summoning the king and queen but decided against it. This was an assault at the prince right inside their court, meaning it was highly probable it was one of their own that committed it. He briefly considered the princess and her lady in waiting but discarded this idea quickly. Deep in his gut he knew it was not them, and besides such a powerful drug was a substance not easily acquired even among their people, so the idea of them obtaining it without getting told on was nearly impossible.

This pushed him in another direction and closer to the culprit. Oh, he had an idea who could have been behind this, and because of this, it was even more important to discuss the matter with Vegeta before the news reaches anyone else. He connected an IV to his vein and calculated the time it will take for the prince to get back to his senses. It should be soon, and it will surely be the worst hungover prince has experienced in his life so far. He himself was a little under the influence since he was not on call that night, he loosened up a bit. No harm in that, whatsoever.

The complexity of this recent event sobered him up and caused an irritating headache. He thought about the last few days and the changes they brought. They are going into the war soon, this was certain. He discussed this with his son Kakarot and was aware that both the king and the prince were in the process of gathering allies. In a month or so, they should officially make a request for Kuragari to step down from his ruling position and let the remaining ruling planets to decide a common ruler of the planet. Naturally, he will decline, and there we are - war. Taking on Ares will be a challenge even with all of the nations united. They were extraordinarily skilled in potions and dark magic, making up for the fact they possessed no bending skills.

He was hopeful for the Poseidon’s project of healing tanks to curb this effect, however with all their efforts so far, he was still unsure if their production rate can follow the demands. He sighed and rubbed his temples. Soon it will be dawn and the next day ought to bring the ruckus to the court, and he was so damn tired.

Vegeta stirred in his bed and this brought Bardock back to present. He measured his pulse, noting it was still slightly elevated, but normal. Vegeta opened his eyes and regarded him with confusion. It took him a few seconds to recall what has happened and where he was. He ripped the infusion out of his arm like it was nothing and sat straight, Bardock knew better than to insist on bed rest.

His gaze would have terrified even the ones who have seen the prince’s rage on many occasions. He was absolutely livid with rage and if it weren’t for the blood tests he himself has taken, he would be certain there are some leftovers of the drug present in his body.

“That fucking bitch!” He spat and tried to stand up. His legs were not yet ready for such endeavour, and he fell back to the bed. Bardock quickly gave him a glass of water and on the other hand offered two small pills. One for aiding with hungover and vertigo, and other for…well, a bit of relaxation of the nerves. But those were details prince did not need to know.

“This will do. Take it and your strength should be right back.” Oh, by Vegeta’s reaction his doubts were confirmed. But still, he had to ask, “are you sure Vegeta? This is not just a small prank; you could have died.”

But to Vegeta, this idea was not the most terrifying one. He could have easily killed her, ripped her into parts, his lust mixed with drug-induced aggression. A small flash of memory burned his mind, her bare chest and her hands pinned over her head. The way she looked at him, her eyes filled with horror and fear. He shut his eyes and pushed this aside. He will deal with this later. Now, there were more important matters to attend to. It was Rianna, no doubt about that.

The worst part was that he knew he had it coming and that she will be pushed to the edge. After all, this night he did not only got married to the princess of Poseidon but he has also broken the promise he gave to Rianna. How did the simple task of fulfilling the duty turn out in such a fucking mess? If it were up to him he would never have gotten paired with either of those. Procuring an heir was desirable, obtaining a breakthrough technology as well, but it seems to come at a price to grand for his liking. He loathed weakness and useless emotions, and those two women drowned him with it.

Indeed, he felt sick to his stomach, and sincerely wished at that moment they would simply be gone. Rianna for letting emotions cloud her judgement and betraying him, and Bulma for… for being this weak striking creature that craved protection. And that night he hurt her and went against his own principles. He would rather die than take a woman by force, and that very evening both almost became a reality. He shook his head in disgust, he was repulsed by himself for allowing this, for being dragged into this fucking chaos and letting himself be drifted from his own goals. This ends tonight.

“Get me Kakarot and Raditz. Tell them to meet me at my…” No, at his chambers there was a woman in bed, and a gown was torn in two laying on the floor. His chambers were out of the question, and this only further agitated him. “Tell them to meet me at the commanding officer room in an hour.”

“But, Vegeta…It is almost dawn and they drank most of the night. Hell, they might still be at it!” While Kakarot was not on the drinking side, Raditz was well known for letting loose at any opportunity possible.

“I don’t fucking care! Get them there in an hour. I have other matters to take care of.” The pill finally had an effect and Vegeta felt strength return to his limbs. He easily stood up, testing his balance. It was more than decent, considering everything. Before the meeting, he had to take care of the situation with both women, and a decision was not made lightly, although it took him only seconds to reach it.

* * *

The sun never came, instead, dark grey clouds covered the sky, making its canvas gloomy and downhearted. The sound of rain brought a calmness to her mind, a soothing melody, a natural lullaby. It suited her mood just right as she remained still in her position. Finally, the doors opened and closed. No knocking. That was fine, they were beyond such curtsies in these moments.

She briefly considered denying her guilt, but as soon as the thought occurred her she dismissed it. It would hold no relevance because _he knew_. Rianna finally shifted her gaze to Vegeta. He was standing still, his skin pale with dark circles forming under his eyes. He crossed his arms over his chest, and her heart ached from his mere appearance. It seemed as it was only yesterday when they were more close than ever, and now it was as miles separated them. She was first to break the silence.

“I will take any punishment you find acceptable.” It was for the best to simply get it over with so she can move on, although she was not so sure where that might be. Even if marriage with Bulma was only temporary, Rianna had a feeling she would not simply take her place once she is gone.

“You betrayed me. For what you did a death penalty would be more than suitable.” The fact she didn’t even try to defend herself exasperated Vegeta even more. He had a high opinion of Rianna, but right now he doubted his previous judgement. In growing desire to get this over with, he gave her no time to respond.

“I am in your debt. I am aware of the fact, back then in the Arizo desert, you saved my life. That is the only reason I will let this one slide. If you ever try to go behind my back again, it will be the end of you.” His gaze darkened, and a loud thunder struck somewhere nearby. Neither Vegeta nor Rianna acknowledged it.

“Thank you.” Her voice was small and weak. She knew him too well, arguing or demonstrating would take her nowhere, and besides, she deserved it all right. The more time passed the more agitated she was with herself for doing such a stupid thing. If she wanted to sabotage the little princes there were much wiser and subtle ways to do it, without pointing all the fingers at herself.

“We are leaving today for Zeus. Their king awaits us to discuss a potential alliance and we will hasten our departure.”

Her eyes widened in anticipation, this was going so much better than she expected. Indeed, she compromised herself, and her bond with Vegeta might be forever severed, but if they are going on a mission…well there still might be some hope. She swiftly got up from her bed and saluted to the prince. “Yes, your highness, I will be ready for departure on time.”

Vegeta looked at her with...disappointment? It was like a blow to her gut, and she realised she will not be getting off so easily.

“By means of we, I am not referring to you. You are to stay and fulfil your new duty.” Now a wicked grin played on his lips, and Rianna knew nothing good will come out of it. “From as today, you will be appointed to princess Bulma’s personal guard squad. While I am absent you will be held responsible for her, and if a single hair is missing from her head....” Silence finished the sentence instead, carrying a clear message. Rianna gaped at the prince, doubting if she understood correctly.

She? A prominent warrior, with countless impeccable results, will be reduced to a…. bodyguard? “No. I refuse.” She was ready to accept any punishment but this one. The mere thought of serving and accompanying that woman all day was more than repulsive, it was unacceptable. But her protest had no effect on Vegeta, as he remained unmoved by it.

“This is not a proposal Rin, this is a direct order and if you wish so, we can take it up to the king and your father. I would gladly recollect the events of this night. How you almost killed me with an overdose of the enhancer, and how it could have easily caused the death of Poseidon’s princess.” He raised one eyebrow at her, as he lowered his hands to the sides of his body.

“Fine. As you wish your highness.” She did not settle specifically because she was intimidated by his threats. He called her by her nickname, Rin… not many people were allowed to call her that, and this small gesture, a shadow of their past relationship gave her hope that she might be forgiven one day. Preferably by the day that woman leaves.

* * *

The next item on his list was far more uncomfortable for his liking. Ever since he met Bulma, he was torn between the urge to claim her as his own and hating her for everything she represents. The balance of their fledgeling relationship was anything but stable, and what happened last night could have only worsened that. If there was one thing Vegeta despised, it was apologising, and this strived not from the fact he hated to admit he was wrong, but from him never being wrong. All of his decisions and moves were always carefully calculated, and possible outcomes replayed several times in his mind before acting. His mind was swift and always right.

Although he would have never forced Bulma into anything, and technically speaking what happened last night was not his fault, it was his hands that caused the damage, hence it was also his duty to make it right. He wondered what were the odds that she will still be here? If he were to find an empty bed, and princess Bulma has gone away, he would not blame her. It would have been a cowardly move by his standards, but then again, she was a spoiled princess of another race. He turned the knob and entered quietly. The room was still and cold, the windows remained open and the breeze of the cold morning could be felt inside. During the day it will inevitably become much warmer, he expected their short summer to last for at least a week longer.

He closed the balcony doors, and with the smallest movement of his finger, the fireplace was alive again. The wedding dress was still on the floor, torn into pieces, physical evidence of his actions that burned him with guilt. He picked it up, shortly wondering what was he to do with it, and without giving it a second thought he threw the dress into the fireplace. Let it burn. 

The sleeping chambers were quiet and dark, all of the lit candles reached their limit a few hours ago, only a faint scent lingering in the air. He took a fresh candle from his night table and lit it with another movement of the finger. The candle cast a dusky light over the room, and revealed the woman, right where he left her. She was asleep, her features peaceful and her shoulders bare and pale under the dim light. Hair, like the waves of the ocean, lay behind her, with a couple of strands covering her face. He swallowed and briefly wondered if she was still unclothed under the sheets. The thought made his cheeks warm-up and he quickly tossed it aside. This was one of the reasons he resented her, for causing these small uncontrolled thoughts. It reminded him of those pathetic men ruled by their impulses. He regarded himself as above those men.

He should wake her up and say something, anything before he left. But he did not know what exactly that should be. _Sorry I almost raped you? It was not me - it was the drugs?_ Although this was the closest to the truth and probably the most straightforward thing to say, it brought no relief. But Vegeta was not the type of person who hesitated much out of discomfort, besides, postponing the inevitable never helped anyone. He sat on the edge of the bed and instinctively moved the strand that covered her face, her skin smooth and flawless, her breathing even and calm. He expected this would wake her up, but Bulma was still sound asleep. He wondered if people who had never spent months and years on the battlefields slept like that. Calm, filled with dreams, without nightmares and constant caution keeping them on the surface of consciousness, regardless of the fatigue that drags you into the depths of slumber.

Vegeta did not want to startle her once more, but time was slipping away. Kakarot and Raditz may already be at the agreed place and it is time to be done with it. Even if right now, he was doubting if he made the right choice. Her closeness made him want to stay instead of fleeing. He gritted his teeth in anger, it was unacceptable to doubt his own decisions so lightly.

Decisively this time, he placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her gently. At first, she narrowed her eyes in resistance, but the next moment she opened her eyes and their gazes met. Her eyes were like the dark depths of the ocean, serene and tender. But soon the memories stirred that calm, and panic and fear replaced it. Her eyes widened and she rose abruptly in bed, the sheet slipping off her and revealing her breasts once more without her consent, causing Vegeta to instinctively avert his gaze. Bulma quickly realized her mistake and panicked, grabbing the sheets and covering herself. Her cheeks were red with shame, her eyes filled with fear and despair. But she said nothing, watching him in silence and waiting, challenging him to speak first.

“I was under the influence of an enhancer, administered without my consent.” His voice was not apologetic; it was as he was delivering an official report. Bulma blinked a few times in confusion as his words sunk in. She regarded him, noticing how he seemed tired and worn out. She tried to process his words in her sluggish mind. _Drugged? By whom and why, how?_ For a brief moment, she felt concerned for Vegeta, wondering if he was hurt.

Quickly, short flashes of previous night burned her mind in response, casting aside her concern quickly and without hesitation. It was far from enough to convince her that what happened last night was merely a slip up from his side. Fear and confusion were replaced with annoyance. “You hurt me.”

Her statement was supported with a small movement of her hands, gripping the sheet tighter. He glanced at her wrists, noticing they were covered in bruises. This caused another wave of guilt to wash over him, he was aware of what happened, however, he obviously was not aware enough of the severity of his actions on Bulma. Her wrists seemed so fragile that he considered it a miracle they did not snap under the pressure. Perhaps he should try a little harder to deliver the apology. Suddenly, he realised he desired to be excused for this.

“I was not acting of my free will. If I were I would have never…done this.” Although he tried to, his voice again sounded more informative than apologetic. He cursed himself for it but realised he was just not capable of procuring an apologetic tone of voice. It contradicted his whole character, thus, she will need to be satisfied with this. Once more he gritted his teeth, this time under the uneasiness of her glare and choose to look away.

Bulma remained silent for a few moments. If she was to accept this reasoning, if she was to believe this was orchestrated by someone else, a decent apology should still be in order, right? Yet, even though he did not voice it out loud, his actions spoke volumes. He regretted what has happened, of this much she was sure.

He did not possess the usual manners of a gentleman, but there was something about him that made Bulma accept this with a dose of appreciation, he seemed… honest. Oddly so, even more honest than many of the people in her life, showering her with constant eloquent praises and empty words.

Besides, this brought enormous relief to Bulma. What happened left a sour taste, making her doubt her judgement and gut feeling, that has served her so well in the past times. She wished for all of this to be ruled as a huge misunderstanding, for Vegeta to be anything but that wild animal she witnessed last night. She secured the sheets around her and slipped off the bed. They were massive and heavy, but Bulma had one important goal ahead of her, and that was to put some damned clothes on her back.

Vegeta turned to look at her, confused by her sudden actions. This earned him a glare from the princess, “if you would not mind providing some privacy, while I…” she looked around the room, struggling to notice her robe in the dim light. Suddenly two remaining candles on the back table were brought to life and it startled her a bit. So far she did not witness Vegeta’s fire bending, his precision was…remarkable.

“…find some clothes.” Oh, they were far away from praising his skills, at least out loud.

With two swift movements, she exchanged the sheet that provided cover with a long silk robe. She tied it firmly around her waist, crossing her arms protectively under her chest. Although technically he already had a glimpse, she was still far from feeling comfortable with being covered solely by a thin fabric while in a presence of a man.

He followed her example, and soon was standing just a few steps from her, but did not cover those last inches. Bulma took a deep breath. Nothing to be afraid of. They both remained silent, as Bulma realised it was her turn to speak and retort to his attempt of apologising. While thinking of an appropriate answer, it occurred to her she was in an advantage here, he obviously felt guilty of what has happened and this could be used to gather some additional information. Casting aside her fear, shock, humiliation…she was curious of what exactly happened.

“The enhancer was given to you against your will. How?” For a moment he seemed relieved that the apologising part was behind them, and in the next, he assumed his usual stance. He crossed his hands over his chest and she noticed he was not wearing gloves. His hands were manly and rough, just as she had imagined.

“It was slipped in my drink.” And back to the short replies. Fine, she had more questions nevertheless.

“By whom?” Now, that was the part she was really interested in. She had her suspicions, surely. But she wanted to hear it from him. She needed the confirmation.

“That is of no importance to you. It has been handled.” He closed the distance between them and was now standing right before Bulma. While she consciously knew that she should not be afraid of him, her body reacted from the still fresh memories of near-rape experience just a few hours ago. Instinctively she jolted from his proximity and stepped back. Vegeta seemed bothered by her reaction, no… he seemed insulted by it. He stepped closer once again closing the distance between them, his hand tried to cup her chin, but Bulma turned her head away. The mantra of ‘ _I am safe, I am safe’,_ hardly made any difference. Thankfully, he dropped his hands down to his sides and leaned closer to Bulma, as he was to share his deepest secret with her.

“I will never again lay a hand on you.” His breath was hot, his tone anything but. “That is, not until you beg me to.” This sent shivers down her spine, however not from the dread. Damned be the reverse psychology and its effects.

With that, he moved away from Bulma and walked over to another fireplace, fitted in the back of the sleeping chamber. He leaned on its frame, observing her, seemingly enjoying his effects on her. But this time, Bulma was able to snap out of it, because she saw right through him. Unfortunately, distractions will not work this time, she had an advantage she planned to use wisely.

“You did not answer my question and I have the right to know.” She waved her hand dismissingly at Vegeta, “No, it is fine actually. Figures you would protect her, being as you are _that_ close.” She glanced at his thigh, referring to the scene she witnessed at the dinner, the hint did not escape Vegeta. So, she had seen it. Her ocean-blue eyes were like two storms under the lights of the candles, her expression stoic and unreadable. She will not reveal how much it has agitated her. That pleasure she will not provide.

“Hmph.” Vegeta glanced away, feeling somewhat uneasy under her glare. She was yet again, right. As much as he would like to erase what Rin did, it was unrealistic to expect of Bulma to simply let it go, given she was the one hurt the most. “It was a mistake, and it will not happen again.” He wisely decided to skip the part of the news about her new guard’s promotion. The drama was overwhelming as it is, and it was time to leave.

“I am leaving for Zeus today, I will return in two weeks’ time, in time for meeting the delegation of Janes.” This piece of information gained its purpose, as Bulma cast aside the culprit chase altogether. She blinked a few times processing the news, so Vegeta was leaving. Even though it was only for a short time, it made her feel…disappointed?

She arranged her thoughts in a fragment of a second, knowing well this conversation has ended. Last time she pushed the subject of Rianna it did not go so well, and perhaps she is too young and inexperienced to utilise her advantage wisely. Oh, well.

“I wish you the best of luck.”

Vegeta nodded and without further delay left Bulma in their shared chambers.

* * *

When Vegeta left her alone it was already morning, but Bulma was feeling anything but ready for the new day. Those few hours she managed to get were not nearly enough to make up for the weeks of bad sleep. She was tired, and this time it was her body and mind that in unison demanded recess. She picked up the sheets cast on the floor and climbed up on the soft bed. This time, although she wanted to further process the conversation they just had, as soon as her head touched the pillow she was asleep. Outside, the sky was tar-black as the large clouds covered it, tapping of the rain once more turned to pitter-patter.

She woke up hours later. Thankfully she was not bothered by the servants or anyone else for that matter. The room was warm and comforting, the fire was crackling in the fireplace, mixing with the sound of rain splattering on the windows. Still hazy, Bulma wondered who lit the fire. Did the servants enter while she was asleep, without her approval? She hoped for sure, this was not the case. She glanced at the empty pillow beside her, still in its original shape. It will be two weeks before they will share the bed, and according to his words, there won’t be any sort of the love-making. Surely, she will never ask him to, and Vegeta did seem like the man of his word. Bulma was yet unsure how to feel about it, she wanted it to be reassurance but could not deceive herself so easily.

She rested a hand on the vacant pillow, wondering if this was the side he usually sleeps on. To her surprise, her fingers touched a piece of paper, neatly folded on top of the pillow. She took the note, noticing a small box underneath it. Before reading the note she examined the container, inside was a thick white ointment, with the scent of an unfamiliar plant. It smelled rather pleasant. She opened the note with her name written on top of it, discovering on the inside only five words.

_Use it on your wrists._

_V._

Unconsciously, her lips stretched to a smile.


	8. "The Prophecy"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise for the delay in updating the story. In an unfortunate event, I lost my laptop and it took me quite a while to set everything up, as well as to continue with my story. Hope you enjoy it :)

Horse hooves patted on the dirt road soothingly. The well-known cacophony of the palace was replaced by a somewhat unfamiliar silence of nature. To Bulma, this change seemed so bizarre that for a few brief moments it almost seemed wrong. The wind blew gently and carried a few strands of her loose hair, and though it was quite warm, a long heavy coat covered her shoulders as well as the buttocks of the horse she was riding. Her new life at such times did seem like a dream, like some photo Morgana even. If she blinks a few more times, it could very well disappear - and be replaced with all too familiar bars of her golden cage home at Poseidon, which she despised and dearly missed at the same time.

Someone of her rank, on a trip outside the court walls, accompanied by only one court lady and three guards? Impossible. And on top of that, on horseback, absolutely inappropriate means of travel by her old standards. The truth was, despite the overall lack of travel in the past decade or so, she knew very well that her parents or any noble family for that matter, travelled in a carriage, with a suitable number of guards. But the adjustment to simpler forms of travel seems to have come bundled along with the privilege of being a crowned princess of Hephaestus.

It was 4 hours past dawn, but the sun was already gaining in strength with every minute that passed. She did not want to be the first one to take off her cloak and admit defeat in the face of the weather of the Hephaestus. She glanced hopefully at Chi-Chi, but she did not seem to share the same predicament. Chi-Chi looked anything but uncomfortable, intently listening to yet another one of Shallot’s stories, who was as of recently her appointed guard. At the head of their little group, Rianna was confidently riding her black mare, her back covered by a dark crimson cloak.

Now, that was a truly evil joke right there. If you ask Bulma the only good side of this misfortune was that this whole situation was seemingly harder for Rianna to see through. Although, at the first opportunity, she did plan to discuss with Vegeta the possibility of reducing her guard trio to a duo. While she found she could easily ignore the woman at the cost of witnessing her humiliating ‘promotion’ to a guard position, Bulma’s overall dislike of the woman was still overpowering. True, it was quite a reach, expecting to assemble a group of loyal guards at an alien planet, but still, enlisting her enemy No1 was probably not wise.

Shallot rode in front of Bulma, alongside Chi-Chi who listened with interest to one of the many stories from the history of their people. Shallot, a man in his mid-twenties, was a medium-built Saiyan, his long and wild black hair resembled Raditz’s hairstyle, although it was more tamed, paired with a bang that somehow protruded uncontrollably but neatly to the right. From what Bulma managed to gather on her own, paired with the inevitable gossip overheard, he was quite popular among the women. Young, handsome, strong and proud, but at the same time impulsive and aggressive. Bulma didn’t exactly consider this a full package when talking about qualities in a future partner, but who was she to judge? But in character Shallot was somewhat different from the male Saiyans she met so far. Past the very obvious traits of the young man, there was a somewhat unexpected one. Shallot seemed extremely satisfied with his new role, always respectful and kind, it made Bulma doubt her capabilities of reading into people. What young prospective man of a warrior race would see this kind of arrangement as a promotion? Either he was unstable, or the very best actor she came across so far. Honestly, both possibilities currently seemed quite realistic.

 _No rush_. Bulma had to remind herself every so often. It has been twelve days since Vegeta left, not that she was counting, of course. It will take much more time to discover what was she dealing with here. _For now, keep to yourself, be polite, act according to your position_ , a daily reminder to herself. A quite simple task for Bulma, one would think. But that one would completely underestimate how dreadful can a monster called curiosity be for a young girl such as Bulma.

She used to love to read. Her whole childhood was filled with countless days and nights when she would get lost in basically any genre available. Books were a gateway, doors to an entirely new and exciting world, she liked to escape every so often. From heavy and dusty books, such as the history of art, to light romance novels, Bulma would swallow them all, like a hungry child given unlimited access to a buffet. Such a big world it seemed to be out there, so enormous and colourful it was hard to wrap her mind around it. At least she thought so at the beginning. As of recently, she came to understand that her all-inclusive access to the library, might not have been so all-encompassing after all. Censorship. Her father made a parenting decision of keeping Bulma tamed and pure. No radical historical, political events in details, just brief mentioning, like footnotes envisioned to be skipped. What good is a princess with too many opinions, should ornaments think for themselves, make the judgement for themselves? Alike went for having a princess too familiarised with the secrets of the bedroom activates. A pure mind, a pure woman, or something along those lines.

So, imagine Bulma’s surprise when on the very first walk through the palace, after her prince charming departed, she was lead to the royal library. All-inclusive, full access to everything. The Queen herself showed her around the enormous halls filled with completely unknown titles. A whole new world opened, and her desire to dive into the world of written tales and stories returned tenfold. Once what was seen as an escape from reality, now were doors to the world she was living in. She had to get to know this planet better, how politics and laws that controlled her life, actually functioned. Nothing as powerful as an educated mind.

Queen Helen showed her some of the titles she should include in her reading list. To Bulma’s astonishment, apart from very obvious law and politics titles, she was recommended quite a few works in the bodily passions department. Bulma was blushing thoroughly, while Helen seemed anything but reluctant while pointing her finger casually at titles such as “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”, “Bonding and Bending” and “A Hunger Like no Other”. Young princesses’ mind swirled in a nervousness and disbelief circle, while she politely nodded her head. She doubted the Queen missed a cue of an unexperienced, clueless virgin right there.

This whole ordeal made Bulma painfully aware of her ignorance in these topics. Oh, and incredibly curious as well. When Vegeta was near her, her body simply responded, and when he kissed her it was as some sort of a virus polluted her bloodstream with a dose of dark adrenaline she never felt before. Fire down below struck her and she felt a hunger that cannot be satisfied. This new, unknown desire frightened her and excited her at the same time, it left her wondering if it was something related to sayian hormones? But, if that was the case she would feel this way whenever she was close to a male specimen of their race, which was not the case.

Bulma was a woman on a mission, she had questions and those books better offer some answers.

Under the pretext of desiring some solitude in the library reading section, Bulma hurriedly grabbed some of those ‘passionate’ titles recommended to her and stashed them under a bundle of boring old political literature. There was no actual need to act like a thief, with all the secrecy and hiding, but the old woven sense of suitability was hard to silence. Mostly under the cover of night, she would dive right in and read until her vision started to blur from exhaustion.

Her efforts were not in vain, indeed. She now technically understood what lovemaking consists of and that there are many different techniques to satisfy a woman or a man. The concept of orgasm was still quite mystical, as to what it feels like. The books offered no comparisons or metaphors that would help a young woman in dire need of second-hand information. Well, since her husband made it very much clear there will not be lovemaking of any sort between them, this was not an important piece of the puzzle.

_"I will never again lay a hand on you."_

Or, better said, the whole jig-saw might just remain a theoretical experience since she did not plan on actually trying any of those quite detailed techniques. Still, it was good to know, one day she hoped the knowledge will come in as useful. Besides, she did not feel like a complete fool anymore.

On the other hand, her little reading trip to the laws and policy department did clarify some quite important matters regarding her future at Hephaestus. With the two years’ limit looming over her head like a dark cloud of uncertainty, it was of utmost importance to understand her position and her rights. While it took quite a lot of pages to assemble the whole picture, the procedure was not as complicated.

Indeed, if she did not produce an heir with the fire blessing within the timeframe of two years, their marriage can be annulled legally. Can be. Which also meant it was not automatically so. Apparently, for this to work, Vegeta as the damaged one can ask for the ‘Revision of Union’. The objective of this revision was to determine if, despite the proof of consummation of the marriage, there was no heir produced or the heir did not show any signs of fire blessings within the first six months of life. Revision of union was to be conducted by the team of medical experts residing within the jurisdiction of the ‘damaged’ planet and monitored by the current queen of Hephaestus. Despite the proof of consummation.

Summa summarum, the bad news was that if Vegeta plans to hold on to his promise of this marriage being a short-termed affair, they had to consummate their marriage at least once. If not, and if the committee is truly formed of medical experts, who will deliver an unbiased examination process, they would find proof if their marriage was not consummated. Bulma could not find further specifications on what happens in that particular case, but guessing that there must be more specific regulations written somewhere else. Probably automatic annulation, if she had to guess.

A lot of ‘ifs’.

Overall, this revelation was more or less in line with the information Bulma managed to gather so far. However, to her surprise, there was an additional element that could change everything. If their matrimonial was not consummated within the first six months, either of the spouses can annul the marriage, given there is evidence that the bride was still pure and untouched. This evidence will once more be gathered and examined by the medical experts and approved by the queen.

Bulma was a virgin, she had no sexual experiences whatsoever, meaning if Vegeta honours his word, in six months…. she could be free. Free to do what exactly was yet to be determined, but the mere possibility of regaining her freedom was beyond exhilarating. Undeniably, there was a certain matter of king Kuragari, and the impending war, but Bulma had six long months to plot her escape. In the back of her mind, a thought formed. What if…. What if she could choose her destiny? If she could run and hide, change her hair colour and assume someone else’s life? Be someone else, be anyone? Just a woman living a simple life, doing whatever she pleases without the constant pressures from everyone else. She never wanted to rule, she never wanted to be an obedient wife, an insignificant figure, an ornament. What if there was a way out of all of this?

Too much ‘ifs’ can be dangerous.

She brushed all of those thoughts aside hastily, knowing very well that the courage to do so was not something she possessed. Even if the opportunity would knock on her doors right this moment, she would stay. The integrity and deeply woven sense of duty were far stronger than her childish daydreaming. Hence, those ideas were cast aside to become one of her small and secret reveries, because there was never a limit to where her imagination could take her. The more answers she discovered, her future seemed less clear.

Bulma sighed and glanced at the bright blue sky. Why was it so damn hot? And more importantly, why was no one taking off their damned cloaks?? Caulifla’s horse caught up to Bulma’s from the rear end of their ensemble. “Princess Bulma, should we stop and rest?” No real concern there, Bulma observed, simply polite. As usual.

In addition to Rianna and Shallot, there was Caulifla. A somewhat wild girl, who has only recently been recruited into the military ranks of the Saiyan army. According to what she was told, her current position was her first official. Her hair was characteristically black, long and wild, and her eyes were like deep abysmal black ovals, unusually large and slightly slanted. The first thought Bulma had when she met her was of mixed marriages. But she knew better than to say something like that out loud. Caulifla was also a bit temperamental, wild even, and while she was a strange girl, her demeanour was very boyish, making her an opposite pole from Rianna. Rianna always exuded that noble confidence and almost lady-like demeanour. It seems that even the people at Hephaestus were not immune to their position and wealth.

“No, Caulifla, I am fine. Thank you.” The young girl nodded and loosened her rains, slowly returning to her initial position. Before she did so, Bulma wondered if she perhaps could unravel the mystery of this unusual climate.

“Caulifla.” She was back in a split of a second. It was not the first time Bulma wondered if that girl and her horse somehow had their minds connected. “Correct me if mistaken, but I was under the impression winter was to come any day now.” Bulma glared at the sun, wishing in that instant a large snowfall would surprise them all. Oh, or a shower of rain, now that would be perfect.

“True. This might very well be the last day of summer for this cycle.” She nodded and glanced at the sun already nostalgic for the season that was having its last dance. To Bulma’s relief, she stripped her cloak down in one swift motion and stretched her hands in the air. “We might as well enjoy it while it lasts.”

Bulma quickly followed suit and stripped her ridiculously heavy cloak. Fresh air never felt better. “The nights are becoming extremely cold.” Bulma mused, indeed, every night since Vegeta left, the temperatures were so low, the fire in all the fireplaces was steadily crackling until the morning.

“Yes, once the grass is covered with the first frost, it is only a question of days until summer is over. From there on it will be ice and snow for months.” Caulifla shuddered at the mere thought, while Bulma celebrated quietly. Though she did not dislike warm weather, blazing heat was not her ideal notion of a comfortable climate. She preferred the snow for that matter. It seemed like a paradox, a fire race living on a predominantly cold planet, where heat as a season was in the waste minority. However, after the long and cold winter, spring was a stable season reigning for another 5 months. Summer, as unstable and short as it was never lasted longer than 3-4 weeks. Additionally, Saiyans had an incredibly high body temperature which allowed them to endure freezing temperatures without any exertion.

Although Bulma used to prefer autumn to all other seasons, this arrangement was far better than having half of a year of blazing heat. Besides, snow and ice were based on water, and that slightly compensated for the lack of natural water sources such as oceans and seas. Ice was practically impossible to manipulate. According to their legends, centuries ago, there was a minority of ice-blessed people on Poseidon. However, as it was simply a legend, and without any evidence of such people existing, it was never included in any of the historical literature. The snow was a slightly different matter, Bulma could manipulate it almost as well as any liquid source, but by a higher cost. Snow transmission to water and manipulation was extremely taxing on ones’ stamina. Still, the possibility offered consolation and a sense of safety.

Accompanied by her three guards and Chi-Chi she was to travel to Naeb, a large city located a few hours away from the royal palace. There was supposedly a large market of spices, plants, fruits and vegetables as well some of the finest fabric that could be found in the high-end streets of Naeb. While, with a simple command from Bulma, the best of the Naeb’s market offer could be brought to her, she craved for some time outside of the palace. For the last decade of her life, she was trapped inside the walls, and it was fair time for Bulma to experience some freedom.

As they got closer to their destination, the landscape began to change. Endless but meagre pastures and trees gave way to the first traces of human civilization. At first, these were smaller family houses with attached gardens and smaller herds of cattle. But as they got closer, the houses grew larger until they were replaced by large ranches. Herds of horses ran freely in the distance, the sounds of peasant life echoing everywhere. The pounding of the axe separating the lumber, being prepared for firewood, the hens cooed loudly, like the anxious messengers of winter. The change was becoming more apparent in the scent of the wind. The sun, though still strong, no longer seemed so threatening. Bulma has never witnessed such a sudden and unpredictable climate before.

In addition to the typical village life, unusual fields of various flowers also found their home. To Bulma's surprise, Hephaestus was more colourful than her old books taught her. The scent of familiar lilies filled her lungs. Oh, how wonderful and painful aromas can be at the same time. The smell of home, the lilies in her garden. This familiar scent unlocked some unexpected memories of home, at first so tangible that she felt a small sting of sadness in her heart. But nostalgia was soon replaced by a rush of new, unfamiliar scents. Exotic, warm, sweet, intense.

Bulma looked at Caulifla in amazement, who initially responded with an equally astonished expression. The next moment she realized why Bulma was so surprised. "Naeb is not only a seller of medicinal herbs but also a producer. In time you will get used to it. I mean scents, they can be quite intense. Your Highness."

If you ask Bulma, the smells were not the only thing that was intense in this city. Streets, people, taverns, stalls, noise, smells, shouting, crowds. For someone who had enjoyed the luxury of quite a bit of personal space for years, it was a real culture shock. The streets were narrow and filled with people of all ages, mostly Saiyans. She noticed children playing with a ball in one of the alleyways, they were laughing. A vibrating, heart-warming sound she hasn’t heard in such a long time. Music was heard from almost every tavern in the street, and there were quite many. Sun was not able to touch them, due to all the silk carpet roofs that connected the buildings in every narrow passage they passed. These silk rugs were in a variety of colours, from azure, purple and red to jade and black. In the process casting a colourful spectrum of shadows on the alleys full of shop stands. At every turn, someone was selling exotic herbs, food, or stunning fabrics. Bulma's senses were overwhelmed, and it was hard for her to focus on one thing from so many stimuli.

People noticed her, she heard whispers and noticed a couple of people pointing fingers at the princess and her entourage. Chi-Chi took her hand "At least they do not seem hostile." She laughed uncomfortably. Several merchants and curious passers-by tried to approach them, but in a split second Shallot and Caulifla, each took a place by their sides. In that formation, they occupied most of the street, but people apparently understood the message and recognizing their group leader, moved away to a safe distance and out of their way. Naeb was built as a network of narrow streets, where it was possible to buy a variety of products at ridiculous prices and try some low-priced beer or wine at the local taverns, according to Shallot. But as a primary trading city, Naeb also offered a somewhat more elite experience.

After a short walk through seemingly identical streets, they arrived in Naeb-Mar. The part of the city that offers before mentioned exclusive experience. And it did fit that description, the streets were more passable, the residents and passer-Byers well dressed, buildings woven of brighter and more expensive stone. The stands were not overloaded with products, but instead neatly organized. The merchants did not shout but waited politely for their customers. And although they certainly recognized Bulma, they did not point fingers or whisper, and instead, bowed politely. Shallot and Caulifla stepped back and took their places at the rear of their small ensemble. Rianna leading them stopped abruptly.

"I have an errand to run for her Majesty. I believe you can continue on your own." She looked up at the sky, for a second thoughtful and serious. Her short hair fluttered in the wind, and Bulma reluctantly had to admit that she was in fact a beautiful woman. "Let us meet at this place in 4 hours, I want to be back before dark." Waving her hand, she turned and disappeared, not waiting for their answer.

Chi-Chi and Bulma exchanged glances full of excitement. "Shallot, Caulifla. Show us the most interesting places! I want to taste some homemade food later!"

* * *

After what seemed like an eternity to both of her guards, they explored some of the finest markets Naeb-Mar had to offer. Bulma handpicked new fabrics for herself and Chi-Chi, as well as some new and exotic perfumes. They were planning on concluding their shopping spree with the herbs and potions market, which Bulma was especially interested in. In one of her inner jacket pockets, she carried a small box, containing leftovers of a certain white and thick ointment. She was simply curious to find out more about this unusual present Vegeta left her. However, there was a small inconvenience for her entourage. They would probably not show interest, at least not openly so, however she didn’t want to leave it to chance.

As they neared the entrance to the final destination on their shopping list, Bulma realized she had to act quickly. She cleared her throat, making her entourage stop and face her. “Shallot, Caulifla. I wish to explore this street solely with my lady in waiting, you can wait for us at that tavern we just passed. We will not take long.” Well, she figured that technically speaking, she was in charge and Shallot and Caulifla as her guards had to listen.

They were caught by surprise with this proposition. “Your highness, that is not possible.” Shallot shook his head. “We are not to leave your side.” Chi-Chi glanced at Bulma, also surprised by this sudden change of plans. Bulma returned the glance and nodded at Chi-Chi, “Shallot, I will be accompanied by my lady in waiting, who is more than capable to keep me safe. Besides, we will stay close by and I assure you it will not take long.” She truly hoped this will convince her guards for some time alone, she did not wish to play ranks with her recently appointed guards. _Make allies, not enemies_.

As Shallot prepared to disagree, to Bulma’s relief, Caulifla intervened. “Shallot, we can take a short break and give some privacy to her highness and her lady in waiting. We will be nearby anyways. Geez, I could really use some cold beer!” Shallot shook his head in disapproval, “drinking on duty is not allowed, girl.” He glanced at Bulma and Chi-Chi. Their ki signatures were barely there, even with his keen and sharpened senses he could not rely on the tracking technique, at least not yet. Using ki comes quite naturally to their people, though sensing ki and distinguishing ki were completely different skills. It takes some time and a lot of training to discern the ki of familiar people, like family. However, with outsiders, it can take years to be able to pinpoint a specific ki-signature. He was perhaps not a seasoned warrior but still had quite some practice. Given that he was aspiring to join the special tracking squad eventually, having this experience would come in handy. He already decided to decline this proposition, but his desires intervened with his sense of duty and he recoiled.

“Fine, we will be just around the corner in that tavern we passed by. We will meet you here in half an hour.” Caulifla clapped her hands excitedly, and Bulma nodded gratefully at Shallot. While she could easily impose her rank she did not wish to resort to such measures.

They parted their ways as Chi-Chi took Bulma by the arm and for the first time, two girls walked freely through the streets of an unknown city. However, very quickly they both realized that they knew very little, or rather nothing, about herbs and spices. The labels, descriptions and scents were very interesting, but they did not know anything about their actual application. After a short walk, they stopped in front of a large and seemingly empty shop.

The shelves were filled with various plants, both in pots and dried, but there were no vendors. The young women exchanged curious glances and decided to enter. As they did, they noticed it was a few degrees colder inside and quite dim. The scent of moisture and herbs filled their lungs. Bulma approached one of the shelves and noticed a beautiful rose of an unusual colour, its petals were a dark sapphire, a colour that Bulma had never seen on a rose before. Bulma took the rose in her hand, curious to find out if it smelled the same as roses usually do.

As she brought its petals closer, she was struck by a deep female voice. "If I were you, I wouldn't do it. Your Highness." Bulma quickly put the rose back on the shelf and looked for the source of the voice. An old woman appeared in the back of the store, her silvery hair tied in a bun, her face streaked with old wrinkles, and her eyes murky, yet warm and welcoming.

"My apologies, I should have asked for permission." Bulma smiled at the older woman. Chi-Chi stood by the shelf closer to the entrance, looking questioningly at Bulma and shifting her gaze to the old lady. Bulma nodded to her, "It is fine Chi-Chi, feel free to look around more." Chi-Chi was also not aware of the mysterious gift Bulma had received from the prince. It was her little secret and she intended to keep it that way. At least for now. It was just an ointment, it would be ridiculous to share it as some relevant news, right?

Bulma approached the older woman, who was observing her with open curiosity. "Your Highness, the stories about you are not even remotely accurate. You are much more beautiful in person." She laughed lightly, there was something sincere and benevolent in her voice. "What can I do for you?"

Bulma looked once more at Chi-Chi, who was carefully examining some of the potions on the shelf with great caution, making sure she wasn't listening, Bulma decided to get to the point. "I have one product. An ointment, I wonder if you could tell me what exactly it is. What herbs it is made of…" The old woman tilted her head in curiosity "Hm, Hm, of course, Your Highness, I'll take a look." noticing Bulma’s hesitation, and catching her glances at Chi-Chi, the old woman swiftly added, "We could move to my workspace, we'll have more ... privacy there, if that suits you, your Highness."

Exactly what she wanted to hear. "That would be perfect."

"Chi-Chi, the kind lady will show me something, I'll be back in a minute," Bulma announced as nonchalantly as possible, followed by a reassuring smile and tilt of the head. Chi-Chi looked at her, surprised Bulma would like a private conversation with a stranger. “Bulma, I could come…” Bulma cut her off swiftly before she could finish her proposition.

“No, I would prefer if you waited here, in case Shallot and Caulifla are already looking for us. It is almost past half an hour, and you know how Shallot can get.” To support her innocent idea, Bulma winked at Chi-Chi and decided to follow the old lady before her friend could argue. She did not catch a glimmer of hurt in Chi-Chi’s eyes.

* * *

In the back room of the shop, the lights were even dimmer, there were no windows allowing beams of the sun to come in, instead, a few candles offered a modest light. Shelves were full of unusual plants and jars filled with potions in the most unusual of colours. In the centre, a wooden table with two chairs rested. “

Ah, apologies your highness, I am aware this is not the accommodation you are used to. It is not much, but I assure you, at Nanir’s place walls have no ears.”

Nanir was a woman seemingly in her late 60s, her hair was grey, but a few resilient strands of hair remained stubbornly black, she was probably a Saiyan as well as most of the citizens of Naeb. However, according to her posture, she was not a warrior or has not been one in a very long time. Slouched shoulders, lean hands with no visible muscles only confirmed Bulma’s assumptions. There was something about this woman, that made Bulma feel oddly calm and cautious at the same time, a combination she was not used to.

“I appreciate your hospitality, lady Nanir.” Bulma politely nodded as they both sat at the table. Without further ado, Bulma took the container she carried since early that morning and gently placed it in front of Nanir. Nanir carefully took the container in her hands and opened it. She smiled knowingly, nodding her head. “Ah, so it was an urgent ointment for her Highness.” She closed the box and placed it back at the table. No further explanations offered, she daringly looked Bulma straight in the eye. “What is it exactly that interests you, princess Bulma of Hephaestus?” Bulma’s eyes widened in surprise. Was it this old woman that gave this ointment to Vegeta? No, that was impossible, Naeb was hours away from the palace, there was no way… Bulma quickly recovered from the initial confusion, aware that their time alone could be cut short at any moment.

“Firstly, I wish to know what it is exactly.” She crossed her arms across her chest, not very royalty like, but quite self-assuredly.

“The main ingredient is the Western Underground Orchid, the rarest plant on the planet. Its healing properties are…undeniably exquisite.” Apparently, Nanir had no intentions of going into any details. Bulma exhaled calmly, a straightforward question and answer session was something she truly appreciated, usually.

“And I suppose you were in the possession of this rare plant when his Highness requested it?” It was quite a rhetorical question, so she quickly supported it with an additional one, “And I suppose he retrieved it exactly twelve days ago?” Bulma uncrossed her arms and rested them on the table in a more peaceful gesture.

This seemingly shifted the climate in the room, as Nanir mirrored her actions, resting her hands now only inches from Bulma’s. She exhaled and shook her head, “Ah…Young people…” Looking Bulma straight in the eyes she made an odd proposal, “How about this Your Highness, I will tell you everything you need to know in exchange for a small favour.” Her voice sends shivers through Bulma’s spine, not hostile, just peculiar. Bulma swallowed louder than planned, blinking her eyes in confusion. Being of her status, she would never expect a stranger to ask for favours…Payments, surely, but this was certainly an odd place and an unusual old lady. While her instincts told her to politely decline, her curiosity consumed her from the inside and before she could stop herself, Bulma nodded her head, slowly but surely.

“Outstanding!” Nanir clapped her hands excitedly, filled with newfound vigour. “First, the information you seek…His Royal Highness Vegeta did visit me just before setting on his diplomatic trip, asking for my services. Something to ease the pain, and the bruising…Price was not of an issue, however, he did insist on my services to be delivered right away, assumingly so he can deliver it to his young and beautiful wife.” Nanir chuckled and waved her hand at Bulma’s confused expression, and before Bulma can ask a very predictable question, Nanir offered an answer. “He used no horses to reach me, he is the crowned prince of Hephaestus, some say, even stronger than the current King. For people like him, there are other means of travel available…heh heh…your prince used his energy to fly.”

Bulma gaped at Nanir, but swiftly gained control of herself. Indeed, she read about it. Saiyans can manipulate ki very well, and Saiyans with great ki control and reservoirs can use this energy to fly, however at a great cost. Finally, Bulma concluded, “That is not a very economic mean of travel.”

“Oh, I agree my princess of Hephaestus. It is not, it costs a lot of energy and might I add, his Highness gave me the impression he did not have much to spare.”

Admittedly, all of that happened just after Vegeta was poisoned. Did he go out of his way to bring a simple ointment for her? Her bruises were not that serious, naturally, they would have passed in a few days anyway. As if Nanir read her mind, she added “He seemed remorseful, I assume he cared a great deal about relieving your pain as well as being absolved of his…potential wrongdoings.”

Bulma lowered her eyes at stared at her palms, resting on the table. So, he did care. Or at least he felt guilty enough to go over all that trouble…for her… Her lips automatically stretched in a small smirk, and warmth filled her heart. Vegeta can be many things, but he was not an insensitive brute, that she was sure of. “Thank you, lady Nanir, for your information. I should be on my way now, my lady in waiting…”

As Bulma started to stand up, Nanir grabbed one of her palms, not roughly, but determinately. Bulma froze in place and glanced at the old lady in shock. Nanir immediately let go of her hand, lifting her palms in the air. “Your highness, I hope you remember our little arrangement. You did agree for a small favour to old Nanir.”

Bulma slowly set back on the chair, her inner alarms going off, instantly regretting making agreements with a stranger. Seeing Bulma’s reaction, Nanir laughed and waved her hand reassuringly. “Oh, worry not young princess it is just a very simple favour.” She leaned over the table and looked Bulma straight in the eye. Her gaze focused, but not threatening. “I simply wish to read your palm.” Bulma tilted her hand in confusion, feeling somewhat relieved that this was all that was expected of her. “Read my palm…as to read my destiny?” A small grin escaped her lips, as she reluctantly held her palm to lady Nanir. Well, while she did not care much for sorcery or witchcraft, it seemed like a small price to pay.

Nanir gently removed Bulma’s riding glove and turned her palm upwards. “We do not have much time.” She glanced at the doors, reminding Bulma that not only Chi-Chi was waiting outside, but a pair of probably quite angry guards as well. She quickly nodded her head, “it would be wise to hurry”. Nanir examined her palm with great concentration. She copied the longest lines with the stroke of her finger and studied the smaller ones with even greater interest. She sighed deeply and looked at Bulma. Her gaze was unfathomable, but for a second Bulma thought she saw a glimmer of sadness there. "The other palm," Nanir commanded briefly, and Bulma obeyed without much hesitation. She swiftly removed the second glove and offered her palm. Nanir glanced briefly into the other palm, then took both palms in her hands, and in a trembling voice concluded,

"Your future is not in your hands. Your destiny is already written, princess. Go."

Bulma muttered in surprise, "Is that all you have to tell me? What do you mean my destiny is already written?" Suddenly she felt a wave of dread overwhelm her, realizing she didn't want to hear the answer to that question. But Bulma was a very curious young woman, and she left her question hang in the air, waiting for Nanir's reply. Under the pressure of a time that was dangerously slipping away, Bulma insisted in a nearly threatening tone, "Tell me now, I demand it."

Nanir, still holding both palms in her hands, studied Bulma, this time it was not just a glimmer that appeared to Bulma, sadness and pity were written in her eyes. In a low voice, almost a whisper, she continued, "Soon you will lose something precious. When you least expect it, you will fall to the very bottom where no one will be able to follow you. You will flee from your destiny, but it will always follow you. Hands that will save a life, hands that will take life. A heart that will love, a heart that will burst into hundreds of pieces. A heart of an ice queen. "

One tear slid down the old woman’s cheek, her lips trembling. Bulma’s eyes widened in shock, as she abruptly withdrew her hands. Silence. Suddenly she felt like the ground was disappearing from under her, and her mind felt dazed. From outside she recognized Shallot’s voice, demanding to know her whereabouts. She quickly grabbed the small box and stashed it safely inside her pocket. Bulma slowly stood up, straightened her back and glanced at the old lady, her voice was shaky but determined, “I do not have faith in your witchcraft.”

She slammed the doors on her way out, and given the absence of her entourage’s interrogation, she must have looked livid.

* * *

On their way back the dynamic was pretty much the same. Rianna took the lead, and Caulifla took the rear. Chi-Chi was riding next to Shallot and Bulma in complete silence. Bulma was radiating with a bad mood, and no one seemed very interested in starting a conversation. That old lady got under her skin, and she could not get her words out of her head. Perhaps, Shallot or Caulifla knew more about this unstable person.

“Shallot.” Her voice tired, but confident. “Your Highness.” Shallot addressed her, seemingly relieved that the previous tensions were broken.

“That place…Nanir’s shop, I found it quite peculiar.” She said, avoiding eye contact and looking straight ahead. Although she posed no questions, Shallot felt as she expected an explanation. “Ah, ancient Nanir. She lost it years ago, the only reason she is still allowed to work is her exquisite knowledge about herbs and potions.” He said as he shook his head, “If you ask me, allowing an unstable person to mix potions that might determine someone’s fate is…a big risk.”

Bulma’s lips stretched in a smirk for the first time after leaving Naeb. “Yes, she did seem…strange, surely.” She exhaled in relief. So that woman was senseless after all, splattering nonsense at her. Right now she felt quite naive for letting her get inside her head. _Heart of an ice queen_. What did that even mean? Absurd. But once again, the curiosity inside her nudged and demand an additional explanation. Perhaps this woman was famous for reading other people's destinies, like a whimsical tourist attraction possibly?

“Shallot, why did Nanir ‘lose it’?” she repeated Shallot’s expression while gesturing quotation marks with her left hand.

“She ‘predicted’ her daughter’s death back when she was still a child. Ever since then she became weirdly fixated with keeping her safe, one of the reasons she started to study herbs and plants. At least that is what I heard.” Bulma looked at Shallot, her smile wavering. “So, she has lost her mind decades ago?”

“No, it happened years later. I think.” Shallot squinted his eyes, trying to recollect the scattered gossip he would occasionally overhear, but the answer was not coming to him. “I don’t know the details. I apologize.”

“I know what happened.” Caulifla cut from the back, scratching her head in a un lady-like manner. “Old Nanir lost it when her daughter died, from a lung disease.”

A cold wind began to blow relentlessly reminding her of a pair of riding gloves that were forgotten on a table at Nanir’s place.

Horse hooves patted on the dirt road, but Bulma somehow did not find them as soothing anymore.

**Author's Note:**

> I will be working on the lengths of the chapters as the story progresses. Please let me know your thoughts :)


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